On demons and bacteria

Scientists have discovered that the breast milk of the 'Tasmanian mammoth' contains an antimicrobial arsenal, effective against 25 of the most dangerous bacteria known to science and six of the most dangerous fungi known to science, including the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, responsible for food poisoning, blindness and more / Dafna Haim-Langford

By: Dafna Haim-Langford

Tasmanian devil (scientific name: Sarcophilus harrisii) is the largest omnivorous marsupial in the world, and is found today only on the Australian island of Tasmania. From the Australian continent, the Tasmanian devil was probably wiped out by the dingo, the Australian wild dog. It is a relatively small and very strong mammal. Its large head and neck give it one of the strongest bites among mammals and it uses this ability not only in battles to obtain a mate, but also to diversify food. The diet of the Tasmanian devil includes prey of mammals of various sizes, but also carrion in varying stages of decay, which contribute to its characteristic repulsive bad breath.

It turns out that a Tasmanian devil puppy, like most marsupials, was born before it had finished its development and at birth it lacked an acquired immune system, which only develops when it reaches the age of 90 days, and that is when it grows and survives in the mother's pouch infested with bacteria. The ability of the Tasmanian devil pups to survive in these conditions without a developed immune system sparked the imagination of the researchers, who turned to testing the mother's milk. After genetic characterization, it was found that breast milk, as well as the lining of the pouch, are rich in antimicrobial peptides, which are effective against a long list of pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Antimicrobial peptides are part of the innate immune system. In human breast milk for example, there is only one antimicrobial peptide. The researchers synthesized two peptides with a wide range of action, which were found to be effective against bacteria harmful to humans.

In view of the fear that antibiotic-resistant bacteria will cause more death than cancer in the coming years, as a result of the decrease in the effectiveness of the existing types of antibiotics, the researchers are currently testing the safety level of the peptide for human use, as part of the international effort to develop a new arsenal of types of antibiotics that will deal with the threat of resistant bacteria. (See news about the company Omnix Israeli, which develops antimicrobial peptides inspired by insects).

**Despite the rare ability to deal with resistant bacteria, the Tasmanian devil is today in serious danger of extinction due to an outbreak of devil facial tumor disease, an infectious parasite that causes them to develop fatal facial cancer. However, after two decades of dealing with the disease, it seems that the Tasmanian devil has begun to develop a resistance to the cancer-causing parasite - from the wonders of the elf's immune system.

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