Positive Quiddity: cockroach molecules kill superbugs

How cockroach brains contain antibiotics that could treat MRSA and E-coli

By Daily Mail Reporter
7th September 2010

Cockroaches are usually seen as a health hazard, to be found in dank and dingy hotels.

But scientists believe that they could hold the secret to treating the most resilient of superbugs.

Tests have found tissue from the brains and nervous systems of the insects can kill off more than 90 per cent of MRSA and E-coli infections without harming human cells.

Simon Lee, a postgraduate researcher at the University of Nottingham, says they hold powerful antibiotic properties after discovering nine different molecules in their tissues which are toxic to bacteria.

He said: 'We hope that these molecules could eventually be developed into treatments for E-coli and MRSA infections that are increasingly resistant to current drugs.

'These new antibiotics could potentially provide alternatives to currently available drugs that may be effective
but have serious and unwanted side effects.'

He added: 'Insects often live in unsanitary and unhygienic environments where they encounter many different types of bacteria. It is therefore logical that they have developed ways of protecting themselves against micro-organisms.'

Mr Lee's research has focused on the study of specific properties of the antibacterial molecules which are now being tested on numerous superbugs.

According to the Society for General Microbiology, the pharmaceutical industry is generating fewer and fewer new antibiotics due to lack of financial incentives, resulting in a high demand for alternative sources of new drugs.

Tomorrow, Mr Lee is presenting his findings to fellow scientists at the society's autumn meeting at the University of Nottingham.

Dr Naveed Khan is supervising Mr Lee's work. He said: 'Superbugs such as MRSA have developed resistance against the standard therapies and treatments that we throw at them.

'They have shown the ability to cause untreatable infections, and have become a major threat in our fight against bacterial diseases. Thus, there is a continuous need to find additional sources of novel antimicrobials to confront this menace.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1309865/How-cockroach-brains-contain-antibiotics-treat-MRSA-E-coli.html#