New disease causing germ found, according to a report in news@nature, 14 April 2006. Scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) have identified a previously unknown bacterium in the lymph nodes of people suffering from a rare immune disorder called chronic granulomatous disease (CGD). So far the bug has only been shown to make people sick if they have CGD, but antibodies to the bacterium have been found in healthy people. This indicates that the bug has invaded their body but their immune system has fought it off. The new bacterium has been named Granulobactor bethesdensis and is similar to a family of bacteria known as Acetobacteracae. These are found in plants and soil and are harmless to human beings. Some are used in the manufacture of vinegar. Microbiologists admit that we really only know a fraction of the microbes that inhabit the environment, because most of them cannot be grown in laboratories where they can be studied. David Greenberg, a researcher at NIAID is hoping to discover where the bacterium originally came from. He commented, “I’d love to scoop up water and dirt and find it.”

Editorial Comment: The findings described above fit perfectly into the Biblical history of a created perfect world, followed by man’s deliberate rebellion and consequent degeneration of all things. Bacteria were created to live in the soil or in symbiotic relationships with living organisms. Our bodies have millions of harmless bacteria living on our body surfaces in mutually beneficial ways and the immune system usually eliminates any that get out of their rightful place. As the world has degenerated, some people’s immune systems have become unable to keep some bacteria out. Once bacteria get into the deep tissues, such as the lymph nodes, they are very difficult to get out. Creation Research has many times predicted that more new diseases will be found as degeneration of human immune systems and of the world in general continues. This study has only confirmed our predictions and we believe this will not be the only fulfilment. (Ref. microbiology, pathology, infection, prediction)

Evidence News 10 May 2006