Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook
Angry Dad Shoots Daughter's Laptop ... after she criticized her parents on Facebook »

For Infections, Try Gator-cillin

Scientists probe reptile's impressive immune system

By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff

Posted Apr 7, 2008 3:28 PM CDT
Email

(Newser) – Scientists are trying to harness the power of alligator blood to fight disease, bacterial infections, and even HIV, Cox News reports. Proteins in the reptiles' blood have antibiotic properties thanks to the animals' long evolution and frequent exposure to bacteria; their exceptionally effective immune systems can fight off invaders without previous exposure. "It's pretty exciting," says one gator researcher.

Says another researcher: "There's a real possibility that you could be treated with an alligator blood product one day." In the lab, proteins extracted from gator blood have killed bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant staph (MRSA), a fungus that causes yeast infections, and a sample of HIV. Researchers are working to sequence the alligators’ genetic material in hopes of synthesizing drugs for humans, which could be available in 10 years.

An alligator is seen at the Gator Park in the Florida Everglades May 17, 2006 in Miami-Dade County.
An alligator is seen at the Gator Park in the Florida Everglades May 17, 2006 in Miami-Dade County.   ((Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images))
An aligator surfaces in a pond near located near the Space Shuttle Discovery as it sits on launch pad 39b at Kennedy Space Center December 8, 2006 in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
An aligator surfaces in a pond near located near the Space Shuttle Discovery as it sits on launch pad 39b at Kennedy Space Center December 8, 2006 in Cape Canaveral, Florida.   ((Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images))
American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) compete for prime position during a feeding frenzy at the Australian Reptile Park near Sydney, 30 September 2003.
American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) compete for prime position during a feeding frenzy at the Australian Reptile Park near Sydney, 30 September 2003.   ((Torsten Blackwood/AFP/Getty Images))
An alligator leaps out of the water to grab a piece of chicken during feeding time at Gatorama in Palmdale, Fla. Sunday, April 22, 2007.
An alligator leaps out of the water to grab a piece of chicken during feeding time at Gatorama in Palmdale, Fla. Sunday, April 22, 2007.   (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

Clay minerals may also yield treatments for MSRA
Telegraph (UK)

Listen to a Scientific American podcast on the alligator's super white blood cells
Scientific American

Gator blood may provide much needed 'new antibiotics'
US News & World Report

 
HIV • antibiotics • medical research • immune system • alligator • pharmaceutical • MRSA • yeast infection • reptiles

More Newser Stories

Staph Strain Explodes Immune Cells
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne