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Bacteria Succumb to Tasmanian Devil Milk


Claire.

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 Devil vs. Superbug: Bacteria Succumb to Tasmanian Devil Milk

Milk from Tasmanian devils could be used in the fight against antibiotic-resistant superbugs, new research from Australia finds.

The devils are marsupials, meaning that their teensy young hop into their parents' pouches after birth to finish developing, and in a new study, researchers found that the marsupial's milk contains several powerful peptides called cathelicidins, which can act as natural antibiotics. Humans have one cathelicidin, but Tasmanian devils have six, and their fellow marsupial opossums have 12, according to the researchers. Tests of the Tasmanian devils' cathelicidin found that the peptides were capable of killing antibiotic-resistant pathogens. The scientists said they suspected that marsupials, because of their unusual reproductive physiology, have particularly powerful chemicals in their milk to help their young develop.

Read more: Live Science

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They're endangered now, aren't they? 

On top of that, who is gonna volunteer to milk a Tasmanian Devil?!

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16 minutes ago, Not Your Huckleberry said:

They're endangered now, aren't they? 

On top of that, who is gonna volunteer to milk a Tasmanian Devil?!

Big time. Their numbers have dropped by about 80% in the last few years due to Devil Facial Tumour Disease.

They're actually quite placid apparently. Not sure I'd volunteer to milk one though.

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