News Microbes

Some bacteria in your mouth can divide into as many as 14 cells at once

The unique reproductive strategy might allow the bacteria to claim territory quickly

A whitish growth of Corynebacterium matruchotii bacteria

One of the most common bacteria in dental plaque is Corynebacterium matruchotii (one colony, shown). And it has a unique form of cell division, splitting into as many 14 cells at a time.

S. Chimileski

By Saugat Bolakhe

Among the more than 500 species of bacteria that thrive in the human mouth, one seems to play by its own rules.