Scientists have discovered a potentially new antibiotic , found in the freshwater animal , Hydra. Researchers have recently discovered that the freshwater animal , Hydra , contains a protein that might be used to help humans fight infection , providing a solution to concerns about treating infection from bacteria that have become resistant to currently used antibiotics.
Hydra is a freshwater animal related to jellyfish , corals and sea anemones. Researchers now find Hydra possess a powerful protein that can kill a wide range of bacteria that have developed a resistance to antibiotics currently on the market.
Joachim Grötzinger , Thomas Bosch and colleagues at the University of Kiel have discovered that Hydra contains an unusual protein , labelled hydramacin-1. The protein is unique because it has no similarity to other proteins found in antibiotics , except for the leech , used since ancient times because of its ability to help with wound healing.
The researchers discovered through lab experiments , that hydramicin-1 adheres to the surface of bacteria , causing the germs to clump. Hydramicin-1 destroys the bacterial membrane , making it impossible for the bacteria to replicate and spread.
Hydramicin-1 has a three-dimensional shape say the scientists , which resembles a distinct superfamily of proteins. The same proteins are also found in scorpion venom , and leeches possess two similar proteins.
The scientists have placed the infection-fighting proteins found in the freshwater animal into a new category , known as macins.
In the laboratory , hydramacin-1 killed a variety of bacteria , including the drug resistant strain of a commonly occurring hospital acquired infection , Klebsiella oxytoca. Klebsiella is a bacterium that can quickly spread to patients from the hands of hospital personnel , especially in wounds , the urinary tract and the respiratory tract. Hyramicin-1 was found during the research to be effective against a large number of gram positive and gram-negative bacteria.
The bacteria fighting properties of the freshwater animal Hydra may provide an answer to help humans fight drug resistant infections , an issue that has become an escalating public health concern.
Source: JBC: New family of antibacterial agents uncovered
