A group of Australian researchers detected six varieties of peptides belonging to a class called cathelicidins, which act as natural antibiotics, in the milk of Tasmanian devils, an endangered species, according to recent a study published in Scientific Reports.
Tasmanian devil joeys are born at extremely early developmental stages and, like other marsupials, continue their development in their mother's pouch, which are laden with pathogens. They are protected from infections by antimicrobial peptides native to the pouch lining, skin and milk of Tasmanian devil mothers.
Sign up for our FREE E-Weekly for more coverage like this sent to your inbox!
While humans are only equipped with one cathelicidin, researchers detected six of the antimicrobial peptides in the Tasmanian devil mother's pouch microbiome. For the study, researchers replicated the peptides in a laboratory setting. Two of the six, Saha-CATH5 and Saha-CATH6, displayed broad-spectrum antibacterial activity and effectively eliminated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis, two superbugs that cause problematic infections in humans. The authors identified the two superbug-killing peptides as potential candidates for drug development.
"Australia has lots of marsupials which would have evolved to protect their joeys from different pathogens in different environments," said one of the study's authors Kathy Belov, a geneticist with Sydney University, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. "There has to be a treasure trove of amazing peptides out there to be discovered."
More articles on infection control:
Top 10 infection control stories, Oct. 10-14
Pathogens in wastewater can go airborne
FDA investigates 10 child deaths potentially tied to homeopathic teething products