Beyond infections, bacteria reveal promise for making medicines and protecting crops

Bacteria get a bad reputation—with all the outbreaks, infections and deaths.

Some bacteria are turning this assumption on its head.

Bioplastic from Rottnest

Scientists at the Bioplastics Innovation Hub recently discovered a type of bacteria that could grow bioplastic, specifically polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA).

Salinivibrio bacteria belong to the large Vibrionaceae family of marine bacteria, which thrive in hypersaline environments such as the salt lakes of Wadjemup/Rottnest Island.

Murdoch University researchers decoded the bacteria's genomes to shed more light on their full capabilities. They examined each gene to pinpoint those that could produce PHA.

PHA is a type of bioplastic that can be made from waste materials, including leftover feedstock, and has a smaller carbon footprint than traditional plastic.

As well as replacing regular plastic in food wraps, plastic bags and textiles, it's used in the medical industry for screws and plates used in grafts and implants.

While PHA is currently being manufactured, it still has limitations. Murdoch's new research might bring the bioplastic market to Western Australia.

Plastic to Parkinson's medication

While some bacteria can produce plastic, others can turn it into pharmaceuticals.

A research team from the University of Edinburgh is producing a frontline medication for Parkinson's disease using genetically engineered E. coli.

The process, called bio-upcycling, has been used to create various other products from plastic, but the team believes it is the first to use it to make medication for a neurological disease.

Levodopa is often used when symptoms become too much to handle with other drugs.

While it's still in the early stages, this discovery could harness the power of bacteria to create a more sustainable process of drug synthesis.

Martian bacteria

Researchers are also looking far beyond Earth—to how bacteria could help colonize Mars.

One of the barriers facing the establishment of a Mars colony is the construction of infrastructure using available local materials. Carting bags of concrete into space isn't particularly feasible.

A study published in 2025 suggests Sporosarcina pasteurii and Chroococcidiopsis bacteria could be used to make concrete-like materials from loose Martian soil.

S. pasteurii is known to produce calcium carbonate, a primary component of cement, and Chroococcidiopsis can survive in extreme environments. Chroococcidiopsis also produces oxygen, which makes this combination particularly useful.

A mixture of the two could be perfect for building future Mars cities.

A lot of this research is theoretical and relies on humans wanting to colonize Mars, but it's still a creative way of using bacteria to solve construction issues.

Crop resilience

Some bacteria are making a real difference here on Earth.

Australia's dry climate this year is due to El Niño. As we head into summer, these drought conditions caused by El Niño and exacerbated by climate change will be even more prevalent.

Many plants are struggling in these increasingly extreme conditions, including agricultural crops.

Researchers at Western Sydney University are investigating bacteria that can make wheat plants more drought resistant.

The study found wheat plants naturally send out signals to attract friendly soil bacteria, Streptomyces and Leifsonia, when faced with drought.

When the researchers reintroduced these bacteria into the soil of drought-affected crops, the crops grew taller and healthier and produced more grain. Bacteria could be used to get our crops through future droughts and produce better-quality and higher-volume crop yields, feeding more people.

While bacteria can be the source of death, disease and disaster, they also prove themselves as important tools for future innovation, tackling some of our most pressing global issues in health care, agriculture and space exploration.