Cockroach Brain Therapy

New treatment for bacterial infections may come from cockroach, locust brains.
The Los Angeles Times (9/4, Khan) "Booster Shots" blog reported that "the next cures for bacterial infections may come from an unlikely place: cockroach brains." Tissues "from cockroach and locust brains and nervous systems killed off 90% of E. coli and MRSA bacteria without harming the human cells they were attacking," according to researchers from the University of Nottingham. The "researchers suspect it's the proteins in the insect brains that so effectively kill the bacteria." Scientists are "currently studying the properties of as many as nine antimicrobial molecules, trying to figure out how they work and why." The findings, released Saturday, "are being presented this week at the autumn meeting of the Society for General Microbiology."

Bloomberg News (9/7, Bennett) reports that "insects, such as cockroaches, have a defense mechanism against bacteria, a 'logical' development from living in unhygienic conditions." Research "has shown cockroaches to spread germs linked to allergic reactions and asthma in the home and drug-resistant bacteria in hospitals." Invasive MRSA "is a hospital-acquired infection that sickens about 90,000 people and kills 15,000 in the US every year," according to the CDC. The researchers are testing the potency of the molecules "against emerging superbugs such as Acinetobacter," Bloomberg adds.