February 26, 2020
Around the world, antibiotic resistant superbugs are a serious concern. Infections caused by these superbugs are responsible for approximately 700,000 deaths each year. Finding new ways to treat these superbugs is imperative, and researchers are searching in all sorts of unusual places for new antimicrobial treatments.
Researchers from APC Microbiome Ireland SFI Research Centre have discovered an interesting component in sheep poop. They were able to identify a bacteriocin, which is a protein that is produced by bacteria that inhibit the growth of other similar bacteria. This newly discovered bacteriocin is produced by Actinomyces ruminicola and has been named actifensin.
The team have been able to determine that the antimicrobial activity of actifensin is effective against a number of potent bacteria that are resistant to other antibiotics. Further research will be required to better understand the mechanism of how actifensin works before it becomes a treatment plan for harmful bacteria. It does however offer hope that novel treatments for these virulent microbes can be discovered in the most unlikely of places.
Source: Irish Central
Read more: http://ow.ly/UQI150yt1LU
