Scientists at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain have been able to discover a novel species of bacteria with cholesterol-busting properties. The bug is called Gordonia cholesterolivorans, from sewage sludge and discovered by Dr. Oliver Drzyzga and colleagues.

The findings were reported in an issue of the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology.

From Sciencedaily.com:

A steroid found in all body tissues, cholesterol is used in the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries as stabilizer, emollient and water-binding agent. As a consequence, steroids - including cholesterol - are a major group of contaminants in urban sewage residues.

Gordonia bacteria have only been classed as a separate group of bacteria since 1997 but they have already proved useful as they are able to degrade a wide range of environmental pollutants including phthalates (used in plastics), rubber and hazardous compounds such as the explosive hexogen (cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine). Gordonia cholesterolivorans’ ability to break down cholesterol means that it could be used to clean up contamination.

Dr Drzyzga and co-workers are studying the genetics of this novel bacterium to genetically modify strains that might also be used to synthesise new and industrially useful breakdown products of cholesterol.

Dr Drzyzga remarked that new steroid compounds made by the bacteria can find applications in the pharmaceutical and medical sectors in the near future.