Posted On: February 11, 2008
A group of United Kingdom scientists recently discovered a bacterium found in Japanese seabeds with the ability to kill MRSA. The new species produces a unique antibiotic that has the potential for treating humans. William Fenical, a pioneer of marine microbiology at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, supports that scientists need to look elsewhere to discover new antibiotics with new structure types because they aren’t finding enough new breakthroughs on land. However, finding enough money to support this research could prove challenging
The search for an antibiotic on the bottom of the ocean makes sense because sea-dwelling microorganisms haven’t come into contact with disease-forming bacteria on land. Special living conditions and functions within the ocean’s ecosystem force them to produce a vast number of enzymes that have potential therapeutic benefits to humans.
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