Tasmanian devil milk fights superbugs 袋獾乳汁可对抗“超级细菌” Play audio file 澳大利亚研究人员说,袋獾的乳汁可能会为人类对抗“超级细菌”提供有利的科学研究样本。悉尼大学的一个科研小组称,这种有袋动物的乳汁富含名为“肽”的重要化合物,它能杀死包括耐甲氧西林金葡菌( MRSA )在内的一系列难治的感染类病症。请听报道。 The Tasmanian devil may be an endangered species, but it is not a defenceless one. These feisty furry animals are the world's largest carnivorous marsupial and have evolved a keen sense of smell along with sharp teeth and claws to catch their prey. Another clue to their survival comes not from their adult diet but from what they drink as babies in the pouch — milk. Australian scientists have been studying devil milk and have found it's packed with important proteins or peptides that can fight off hard-to-treat infections including the hospital superbug MRSA. Elizabeth Murchison, a UK expert in Tasmanian devils says that the animals evolved this defence to help their vulnerable young grow stronger. The University of Sydney researchers ultimately hope to find new treatments for humans. They've scanned the devil's genetic code to find and recreate the infection-fighting compounds. So far, they've found six. Work's already begun testing other marsupials including koalas to see if these animals will reveal more. |