This fish delivers a nasty sting. Could it also save lives?

Ocean-goers along the Pacific Northwest’s rugged shorelines know to give the prickly Korean rockfish a wide berth. A type of scorpionfish, it can deliver a toxic strike with its spines. But according to a new study, the fish may possess the ability to heal as well as harm. A protein it produces can kill drug-resistant bacteria, the authors say, and could one day be used to treat infections in people with cystic fibrosis. The discovery “sets the stage” for scientists to develop better tools to combat antibiotic resistance, says Nicole Iovine, an infectious disease expert at the University of Florida who was not involved in the study. People with cystic fibrosis generate unusually thick and sticky mucus, which clogs their lungs and airways and makes them vulnerable to chronic bacterial infections. These patients often require constant treatment with antibiotics, which become less effective over time as bacteria evolve to resist the drugs. Untreatable infections can lead to sepsis, widespread inflammation, organ failure, and eventually death. The most notorious microbial offender is Pseudomonas aeruginosa , a bacterium that thrives in the bodies of immunocompromised patients and is resistant to a wide range of antibiotics. Humans naturally produce a protein called BPI that can destroy disease-causing bacteria, including P. aeruginosa . But the resulting immune battle often results in people with cystic fibrosis living i...
Source: ScienceNOW - Category: Science Source Type: news