When it comes to crocodiles, people's first reaction is: are you talking about crocodiles in clothing brands or crocodiles in nature? Today, we're talking about an ugly guy (short legs, scaly armor, teeth like an awl) and not a gentle guy. Crocodiles are the most primitive reptiles alive today. This "relic" of the Mesozoic era, like the generation of dinosaurs, is not a low place in the history of evolution. This old-timer was the last living link to a prehistoric dinosaur-like reptile. The long-faced, long-mouthed creatures had previously done more for humanity than their skin. Eventually, though, that will change. Scientists in the United States have found the key to fighting infection in the blood of alligators. "Superantibiotics" could be born.
The torn titanium protein kills bacteria
The idea came from an outsider, television reporter Volton Smith, who had no medical connections. She was ordered to make a television film about the habits of a crocodile. While filming, Flatton Smith noticed that crocodiles were often scarred from biting each other. East and west a wound, if in human body, do not know how many times to amputate. However, these ferocious creatures never get infected from these injuries. Their immune systems, it seems, are powerful enough to quickly wipe out incoming viruses, bacteria and other microbial filth. Flatton Smith thought there must be a secret, so he shared his idea with a young crocodile expert. So, at great risk, the two men obtained some crocodile blood (no easy task, tying the claws of the captive and drawing a tube from a vein at the back of the head) and sent it to American experts for analysis.
Soon, researchers in the United States isolated a peptide from crocodile blood that breaks down the bacteria's cell membrane and its amino acid chain. In tests they found that crocodile proteins the size of a pin can kill most types of viruses, including the dreaded antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.
Here, it is necessary to explain what MRSA is. In fact, we have some of this bacteria on our skin and in our nasal passages. When the body is weak, the bug gets inside the blood vessels and destroys muscles. Now that antibiotics are overused, the bacteria can easily become resistant, and that's when they become RSA. The initial symptoms of the disease are much like a bug bite and are not easily diagnosed. It spread rapidly among high schools across the country last year, causing considerable panic.
This time, scientists have been able to kill antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, the most dangerous strain to humans, using a protein extracted from crocodile blood. In addition, the protein extract was found to target eight different species of Candida albicans. Candida albicans is a type of yeast that people with compromised immune systems are most susceptible to.
Killing HIV with crocodile serum
In fact, protein extracts from the blood of American alligators contain at least four unknown components. Scientists are working to determine the chemical structure of the protein extracts. Once the chemical structure is determined, scientists can create superantibiotic drugs. These drugs will be on the shelves in the next seven to 10 years. Biochemist Mark Mechan has been studying the antigenic properties of crocodiles. "One day, you could be treated with a crocodile blood product," he said. I suspect that milk fat made from crocodile blood could be used for foot ulcers in diabetic patients, or to prevent infection after burns, etc." However, he admits that crocodiles' immune systems may be too powerful for humans and need to be neutralised to an adult level.
After studying crocodiles' superior immune systems for some time, scientists have discovered that the protein in their blood is also a threat to HIV. "If you take a test tube of HIV and compare it with the human serum, the crocodile serum kills a lot more HIV than the human serum," said Australian scientist Adam Brie. Crocodiles do not deal with HIV in the same way that human immune systems attack the virus head-on as soon as it invades. Antibodies from the alligator's immune system attach to the bacteria, splitting and disintegrating it, like a fatal blow to the head with a gun. Looks like this time, we're gonna give the crocs some special credit. After all, crocodile protein antibiotics are responsible for killing MRSA more than crocodile skin, which is used to make leather shoes.
