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Posted by PH Meliss on April 01, 2003 at 12:41:08:
In Reply to: CROCODILIANS ARE AN IGUANAS' BEST FRIENDS?.............maybe posted by IGUANA JOE on March 31, 2003 at 22:37:06:
More to the point, crocodilin has proved, in the laboratory, to kill off the worst bacteria we have been able to throw at it, the one that causes the antibiotic-resistant necrotizing fasciitis (aka flesh-eating bacteria): Group A Streptococcus (GAS) Disease.
But, probably because the drug companies who might make this antibiotic won't put the money into further research, synthesis and development because they don't see a high enough return on their investment, the blood samples so pain-stakingly collected from wild crocodiles in Australia by Adam Britton sit in a refrigeration unit in New Jersey, where it has sat for a couple of years now. (For those who didn't catch it, keep an eye out for the documentary "Crocodile Secrets" that plays now and then on Discovery Channel, produced by BBC/Discovery).
While crocs are reptiles, they aren't lizards, so they are rather distant cousins to our iguanas. Crocs live in water teaming with all kinds of nasty microorganisms, yet, until Adam mused aloud, to a BBC documentary producer in Oz filming another documentary Adam was involved in, about "there must be *something* in them" to fight off infections from the horrendous wounds they inflict on one another, no one looked at this possibility. So, whatever drug we eventually (hopefully!) derive from the discovery of crocodilin, its benefits will go far beyond helping our igs fight of infections they may get in captivity...
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PH Meliss
Pet Hobbyist Volunteer * Iguana Forum
Iguanas for Dummies
Anapsid.org: Herp Care, Societies/Rescues, Vets, Resources
