What are recent news about nanobacteria?

[Dims]

Does the existence of nanobacteria is established? Do their role in some deseases already proved?

 

Thanks.

[Phi for All]

They're definitely real but whether thay are what their discoverers say they are is still in question. Here is a fairly recent study (2007).

[CharonY]

Afaik there is almost nothing definite about them. Just to give an example I checked the same journal as the link above (PloS Path.) and found this:

Link

From the abstract:

"Our results definitively ruled out the existence of “nanobacteria” as living organisms and pointed out the paradoxical role of fetuin (an anti-mineralization protein) in the formation of these self-propagating mineral complexes which we propose to call “nanons.” The presence of fetuin within renal calculi was also evidenced, suggesting its role as a hydroxyapatite nucleating factor."

 

Well, OK according to these authors they are definitely not living. I have not checked into this topic seriously, though. I would be interested to look at some samples under the AFM myself, though. The report is quite convincing, btw.