’Pokemonas’: bacteria closely related to lung parasites discovered and named after Pokémon

- EN - DE
Light microscope image and illustration of a Thecofilosea amoeba with intracellu
Light microscope image and illustration of a Thecofilosea amoeba with intracellular Legionellales bacteria (’Ca. Pokemonas kadabra’). The bacteria were stained red by so-called ’fluorescence in situ hybridization’. Photo and illustration: Marcel Dominik Solbach.
Light microscope image and illustration of a Thecofilosea amoeba with intracellular Legionellales bacteria ('Ca. Pokemonas kadabra'). The bacteria were stained red by so-called 'fluorescence in situ hybridization'. Photo and illustration: Marcel Dominik Solbach. 'Pokemonas' live in round amoebae, similar to Pokémon, which are caught inside balls in the popular video game A research team at the University of Cologne has discovered previously undescribed bacteria in amoebae that are related to Legionella and may even cause disease. The researchers from Professor Dr Michael Bonkowski's working group at the Institute of Zoology have named one of the newly discovered bacteria 'Pokemonas' because they live in spherical amoebae, comparable to Pokémon in the video game, which are caught in balls. The results of their research have been published in the journal Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology. Bacteria of the order Legionellales have long been of scientific interest because some of these bacteria are known to cause lung disease in humans and animals - such as 'Legionnaires' disease', which is caused by the species Legionella pneumophila and can sometimes be fatal.
account creation

TO READ THIS ARTICLE, CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT

And extend your reading, free of charge and with no commitment.



Your Benefits

  • Access to all content
  • Receive newsmails for news and jobs
  • Post ads

myScience