THE COURIER (Dundee, Scotland, UK) 01 May 07 Frogs may spawn bug treatment (Cheryl Wood)
A possible cure for hospital superbug MRSA has been found in an unlikely source—American bullfrogs.
One of the main ingredients in a treatment developed which kills the bacterium is ranalexin, which is produced by the Rana frog.
The discovery was made by a team of scientists at St Andrews University and could herald an effective method of treating wounds infected with the drug-resistant bug.
The team, led by microbiologist Dr Peter Coote, found ranalexin had a “potent and significant” inhibitory effect on MRSA when combined with another antimicrobial compound, lysostaphin.
Mr Coote said, “MRSA is a major cause of hospital infection in the UK and is responsible for approximately 2000 deaths every year.
“Our finding represents a potentially novel way to combat MRSA via surface treatment or impregnation of wound dressings.”
Combining antibiotics is a common way of targeting organisms and prevents the emergence of resistant strains.
It also decreases toxicity to the patient because lower doses of each ingredient are used.
Ranalexin is an antimicrobial peptide—natural molecules produced by all creatures as a defence against disease-causing pathogens.
Mr Coote added, “The development of new routes to target MRSA that do not result in the acquisition of resistance would greatly improve the ability of clinicians to tackle these infections more effectively and cheaply.”
Frogs may spawn bug treatment