Pinning down a drug-resistant ESKAPE artist, with Jenny-Lee Thomassin
Researchers Under the Scope · Jen Quesnel
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Show Notes
They're two millionths of a metre, and they can be found outside, as well as on your skin, even inside your nose, throat, and gut.
The World Health Organization calls Klebsiella pneumoniae a major concern, because this tiny bacteria can cause deadly infections.
Molecular microbiologist Jenny-Lee Thomassin recently arrived at the University of Saskatchewan to study one of the most drug-resistant strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae.
"Bacteria are constantly changing," said Thomassin. "What seems to be emerging in some places are crosses between classic and hypervirulent strains, where antibiotic-resistant bacterium can make a healthy person sick."
Hear why she likens her work to fixing a car engine blindfolded.