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According to new research, antimicrobial peptides present in the milk of Tasmanian devil dams are capable of killing antibiotic-resistant human pathogens, including highly problematic strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis (VREF). The powerful microbe-killing abilities of the peptides, known as cathelicidins, likely stems from their native role, via passive transfer in the mother’s milk, in helping Tasmanian devil joeys survive. Joeys are born prior to the development of adaptive immunity and complete their development in the dam’s pouch, where bacteria and other potentially infectious microorganisms abound. Cathelicidins are also expressed in the mother’s pouch lining and skin.
The discovery comes at a critical time in the fight against antibiotic-resistant organisms, popularly known as superbugs, which are spreading worldwide and against which few drugs remain effective. Such drug-resistant organisms, which include certain strains of bacteria, protozoans, and viruses, cause an estimated 700,000 deaths each year. Cathelicidins—six of which were characterized in the new work—are promising candidates for drug development specifically for the fight against potentially deadly antibiotic-resistant bacteria and infectious strains of fungi.
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