AMPHIBIANS could help in the search for new substances to treat
antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus
aureus.
Page Fredericks and John Dankert of the University of Southern Louisiana in
Lafayette found that peptides from the skin of the red-backed salamander (
Plethodon cinereus) killed 90 per cent of a culture of staphylococci within
two hours—faster than most antibiotics (Journal of Experimental
Zoology, vol 287, p 340).
Dankert notes that although salamanders bite each other and tear the thin
skin through which they breathe, they don’t seem to suffer from infection. The
peptides are probably too large to be…
