Title: Making the Case Against Archaea | Scienceline
Headings: Making the Case Against Archaea
Making the Case Against Archaea
Disease hunters target an ancient form of life.
Robert Goodier • January 2, 2009
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Content: That same year, Japanese researchers examined plaque from 13 coronary arteries and found evidence of archaea in all of them. They published their results in the journal Clinics, concluding that they may be the first to discover disease-causing archaea inside human organs. Lepp warned, however, that their methods may have been flawed in part because they lacked proper experimental controls. Stanford’s David Relman, who headed the American gum disease study, has forged a reputation as an archaea disease hunter. But unlike Torsten Thomas at New South Wales, he does not suspect they could be a direct cause. “I think that the archaea can contribute to pathology and to disease, but I don’t think they do so alone or in a direct manner,” Relman said. Instead, he believes, “They allow other organisms to flourish to a much greater degree than they would otherwise. But it’s a consortium, a group effect. It’s not an effect they are able to carry out on their own.” His hypothesis hinges on the archaea’s diet.