Scientists have developed what they call a "suicide bomber" bacteria, which can detect and destroy a hospital superbug resistant to antibiotics.
Researchers in the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore engineered a strain of E.coli that can detect signs of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a leading cause of infection that can be fatal to patients with weak immune systems.
The specially designed bacteria produces a toxin that is lethal to the superbug, before blowing themselves apart like bombs and splattering the substance over the surrounding area, the Daily Telegraph reported.
When added to a culture of P. aeruginosa in lab tests, the artificial E.coli destroyed 99 per cent of its targets and prevented the formation of biofilms -- slimy communities of bacteria which are difficult to destroy – by up to 90 per cent, the researchers said.