Superbug Treatment Research: Bacteria May Soon Be Used To Treat Infections, Plus Venom For Pain
Science is unpredictable, and sometimes medical discoveries come from some places you’d least expect. In a recent episode of SciShow on YouTube, host Hank Green explained two strange but potentially useful medical finds: A painkiller in a fish venom and an antibiotic in the form of a bacteria.
One of the most defining properties of venom is its ability to cause its victims pain before eventually disabling them, or worse, killing them off. However, new research has shown that the venom of the Fang Blenny does the exact opposite and may actually prevent pain rather than cause it. Sky News reported.
Read: Venom As Medicine: How Spiders, Scorpions, Snakes, And Sea Creatures Can Heal
According to Green, this is because the venom contains a neuropeptide that binds to opioid receptors, blocking pain, among other effects. In nature, the venom dramatically lowers blood pressure so much that it can cause organisms to become uncoordinated or even start violently shaking, which helps the little fish get away quickly without being eaten. However, some researchers hope they may be able to simply mimic the venom’s pain blocking properties in order to create a new, more effect painkiller for human use.
Another strange medical discovery described in the video involved using bacteria to kill drug-resistant bacteria. While the idea may sound counterproductive, the research focuses on Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus, a bacteria the specifically targets bacteria that are harmful to humans, such as E.Coli, but leave healthy human cells alone.
Unlike antibiotics that target certain properties on the surface of bacteria in order to kill them, this Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus kills bacteria in a similar way to viruses: by replicating inside of them, and them bursting them open. Because the bacteria works so differently than antibiotics in its ability to target and kill other bacteria, it may prove useful when other treatments have failed. At the moment, researchers are working on ways to manipulate this useful bacteria to make it for effective for human purposes.
To learn more, watch the video below!
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Centipede Venom Could Treat Pain More Effectively Than Morphine