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Komodo dragon blood may lead to new antibiotics
Antibiotic resistance - whereby harmful microbes have developed resistance to drugs that once killed them - has
become one of today's biggest threats to public health.
W
hile the overuse and incorrect use of antibiotics are key drivers of
resistance, the fact that no new antibiotics have been developed over
the past 30 years has not helped; relying on the same medications
for so long has provided microbes with the opportunity to evolve
and escape the clutches of drugs that once destroyed them.
With the World Health Organisation (WHO) warning that we are on the cusp of
entering a "post-antibiotic era," the race is on to find new antibiotics that can combat
drug-resistant infections. Findings of a study by researchers from the School of
Systems Biology at George Mason University in Manassas, VA, looking at the Komodo dragon as a potential source for new
antibiotics, were recently published in the journal
NPJ Biofilms and Microbiomes
.
Antibiotic inspiration from the Komodo dragon
The Komodo dragon (
Varanus komodoensis
) is a lizard that can be found on five islands in Indonesia: Komodo, Rinca,
Flores, Gili Motang, and Padar. It is the world's largest living species of lizard, capable of growing up to 3,3 metres in length.
However, that is not the only characteristic that makes it unique. According to the researchers, the reptile rarely becomes ill,
despite eating decaying flesh and possessing saliva that is rich in harmful bacteria. The researchers say that this is due to a
peptide found in their blood called VK25, which they isolated from a Komodo dragon residing at the St. Augustine Alligator
Farm Zoological Park in Florida. On closely analysing this peptide, the team found that it possessed mild antimicrobial
properties and had the ability to prevent biofilms, which are microorganisms that stick together in order to thrive and protect
themselves. These are often found in wounds. The researchers rearranged two amino acids present in VK25 with the aim of
making it more effective. This led to the development of a new, synthetic version of the peptide, which they named DRGN-1.
DRGN-1 killed antibiotic-resistant bacteria in mice
Next, the team tested DRGN-1 on mice with wounds that were infected with two strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria:
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
and
Staphylococcus aureus
. The synthetic peptide attacked and destroyed the biofilm of the wounds,
before killing the two bacterial strains. This led to a faster wound-healing process. The researchers now plan to test the
potential of DRGN-1 as a topical, wound-healing product for animals, but they are hopeful that the peptide could lead to new
antibiotics for human use.
v
Bits and Bobs
I Stukkies en Brokkies
South Africa’s Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) has lost
its appeal to keep a moratorium on the local trade in rhino horn
SA’s Constitutional Court made the ruling early in April, stating that “it has concluded that the
application should be dismissed with costs as it lacks reasonable prospects of success.” This,
in effect, opens the way to make the trade and sale of rhino horns legal within the country.
The United Nations’ global ban on international trade still remains. Rhino horn breeders, like
John Hume, believe that legalising rhino horn trade will decrease poaching. In a rhino horn
trade debate with Born Free President and CEO Will Travers last year in London, retired SA
property developer Hume said: “I beg of you, let’s end the war on the trade in rhino horn. It
has only resulted in the killing of game rangers, poachers and the decimation of the rhino population.”
His argument, and that of other private rhino wners, is that unlike elephant ivory and pangolin scales, rhino horns can
be cut off anaesthetised live animals without injury to the animal. Hume and many like him already remove their rhino’s
horns making them uninteresting to poachers. Now they sit with stockpiles of horn, which they say, could be sold and
the proceeds spent on rhino protection and breeding programs. “I think it’s a huge assumption that the entry of legal
rhino horn into the marketplace is somehow going to magically replace illegal,” said Travers at the time. “Poachers and
criminal syndicates are entrepreneurs. They will take advantage of any opportunity to make money. If you’re selling it at
30 000 a kilo, they will sell it at 25 000.”
Pelham Jones, chairman of the Private Rhino Owners Association, reportedly told AFP news agency that they are
“delighted” with the ruling.
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