Possum poo study sheds light on human epidemics

A new study of the way bacteria spread amongst possums could shed light on the spread of human epidemics. Scientists from The Australian National University studied E. coli in mountain brushtail possums, and found that the bacteria were transmitted in surprising patterns. "Even though possums are curled up together all day, daytime den sharing was not as important for the spread of E.coli as night time encounters while out foraging," said lead researcher Dr Michaela Blyton, from the ANU Research School of Biology. "This suggests that it's not just how much time you spend together that's important, it's what you are doing during that time." E. coli is a widely studied bacterium that occurs in most warm blooded animals. In most cases it is not harmful. However, it can cause human illnesses such as gastroenteritis through virulent strains or if usually benign strains get into the wrong part of the body. Dr Blyton's study, published in Ecology Letters , found that interactions between possums were more important than home range proximity for transmitting E.coli .