��������

Recent research from the Marine Biological Laboratory at the University of Chicago, has uncovered an unusual form of cell division in one of the most common forms of bacteria – those that live in dental plaque.

The researchers observed Corynebacterium matruchotii which produces precipitate calcium phosphate in the mouth, undergo a division process known as “multiple fission.”

For bacteria, the most common form of cell division involves the parent cell splitting into two daughter cells. However, with multiple fission, the parent cell divides into several daughter cells instantaneously.

Published in the , the research team observed the plaque bacteria cells divide into as many as 14 cells at once, which helps to explain why C. matruchotii can grow rapidly within dental plaque.

Source: Astonishing Rate of Growth in Your Dental Plaque | Cosmos