Magic milk: fighting infections with a clue from the echidna

Why in news?
  • Scientists find novel way of tackling antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains.
  • Scientists have isolated an anti-microbial protein found in the milk of an egg-laying mammal.
  • This protein can be used to serve as an alternative to antibiotics used on livestock.
More in news
  • About Echidna:
    (1) Echidnas are unique egg-laying mammals found only in Australia and New Guinea.
    (2) It also known as spiny anteaters.
    (3) Their young hatch at early age depends completely on mother’s milk.
    (4) But the mammary glands of the echidnas are devoid of nipples.
    (5) This forced young ones to lick milk from the mother’s body surface.
    (6) This potentially making them vulnerable to micro-organisms.
  • Nature protects its own:
    (1) The milk of the echidna has a protein that can puncture the cell membranes of multiple bacterial species, thus destroying the source of infection.
    (2) Protein from echidna milk is effective against mastitis-causing bacteria.
    (3) These studies give us novel approaches to fighting infectious diseases taking clues from nature.
    (4) They are the best way forward in this emerging scenario of increased infectious disease burden and resistance to current treatments.
Source
The hindu




Posted by Jawwad Kazi on 25th Apr 2019
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