But don't worry, they're friendly.
Ultra-Small, Parasitic Bacteria Found in Groundwater, Dogs, Cats — And You
Inside your mouth right now, there is a group of bacteria whose closest relatives can also be found in the belly of a moose, in dogs, cats, and dolphins, and in groundwater deep under the Earth’s surface. In a stunning discovery, scientists have found that these organisms have adapted to these incredibly diverse environments—without radically changing their genomes.
...
TM7 and other ultra-small, parasitic bacteria within CPR may play important roles in health and disease that we have yet to discover. Since they act as parasites—living with and killing other bacteria—TM7 could change the overall microbiome by modulating the abundance of bacteria, McLean said. Scientists are just scratching the surface of understanding how much our microbiome impacts our overall health.
Ultra-Small, Parasitic Bacteria Found in Groundwater, Dogs, Cats — And You
Inside your mouth right now, there is a group of bacteria whose closest relatives can also be found in the belly of a moose, in dogs, cats, and dolphins, and in groundwater deep under the Earth’s surface. In a stunning discovery, scientists have found that these organisms have adapted to these incredibly diverse environments—without radically changing their genomes.
...
TM7 and other ultra-small, parasitic bacteria within CPR may play important roles in health and disease that we have yet to discover. Since they act as parasites—living with and killing other bacteria—TM7 could change the overall microbiome by modulating the abundance of bacteria, McLean said. Scientists are just scratching the surface of understanding how much our microbiome impacts our overall health.