Alligator Blood Could Fight 'Superbugs'
POSTED: Wednesday, April 9, 2008
UPDATED: 10:10 am EDT April 9,
2008
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The blood of alligators may lead to new drugs able to fight super infections that plague humans, according to researchers.Scientists said they noticed alligators often get banged up in battles over territory or food but their wounds never seem to get infected, despite slimy living conditions in bacteria-filled swamps.So, researchers in Louisiana put 23 bacteria samples against alligator blood and found that the blood killed the infections 100 percent of the time.The findings may lead scientists to new drugs that can fight some of the most stubborn infections in human, such as "superbugs" that resist antibiotics. In fact, a scientist said the blood could be used to make bug-fighting pills or creams that could be applied to burns to fight infections.The study involving alligator blood proteins is the first of its kind.Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
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