If only acne manifested itself in humans the same way it does in grapes, the world would be a less stressful place. According to a recent study from the Research and Innovation Center - Fondazione Edmund Mach in Italy, the bacteria jumped from humans to grapes 7,000 years ago -- with no physical signs since (and perhaps even some benefits), Live Science reported.
More remarkable (perhaps) is the discovery's distinction as the first case of bacteria moving from humans to plants.
"It has never been discovered that a human bacterium could be adapted to be the guest of a plant cell," study co-author Andrea Campisano told Live Science. "This is the first time that it is described, and it finally answers the question of whether it is possible or not."
Comparing its genetic make-up to that of human strains and their evolutionary predecessors, the researchers decided the bacteria went from farmers to plants around 7,000 years ago. Unfortunately for pharmaceutical companies hoping to possibly cash in, the switch doesn't go both ways: Grape acne, now its own strain, cannot return to its original host.
In light of their strange discovery and as a nod to their Italian roots (and as a general nod to being scientists prone to the neat and romantic), researchers named the bacteria P. acnes type Zappae, or P. Zappae for short, for the late Italian-American, genre-defying artist, Frank Zappa.
"The fact that it was so unusual made us think of someone as unusual and eclectic as Frank Zappa, who was a surprising person," Campisano said. "And we wanted to honor him on the 20th anniversary of his death."
Since P. Zappae has no ill effects, it's believed to serve as part of the "balance of microbes" that sustain physical health, according to Live Science. Researchers hope to use their discovery to better understand that balance in the development of probiotics for not just grapes but other plants that may also have a form of acne.
