OrangeSoul Posted August 21, 2005 Share Posted August 21, 2005 SYDNEY (Reuters) - Scientists in Australia's tropical north are collecting blood from crocodiles in the hope of developing a powerful antibiotic for humans, after tests showed that the reptile's immune system kills the HIV virus. The crocodile's immune system is much more powerful than that of humans, preventing life-threatening infections after savage territorial fights which often leave the animals with gaping wounds and missing limbs. "They tear limbs off each other and despite the fact that they live in this environment with all these microbes, they heal up very rapidly and normally almost always without infection," said U.S. scientist Mark Merchant, who has been taking crocodile blood samples in the Northern Territory. Initial studies of the crocodile immune system in 1998 found that several proteins (antibodies) in the reptile's blood killed bacteria that were resistant to penicillin, such as Staphylococcus aureus or golden staph, Australian scientist Adam Britton told Reuters on Tuesday. It was also a more powerful killer of the HIV virus than the human immune system. "If you take a test tube of HIV and add crocodile serum it will have a greater effect than human serum. It can kill a much greater number of HIV viral organisms," Britton said from Darwin's Crocodylus Park, a tourism park and research center. Britton said the crocodile immune system worked differently from the human system by directly attacking bacteria immediately an infection occurred in the body. "The crocodile has an immune system which attaches to bacteria and tears it apart and it explodes. It's like putting a gun to the head of the bacteria and pulling the trigger," he said. For the past 10 days Britton and Merchant have been carefully collecting blood from wild and captive crocodiles, both saltwater and freshwater species. After capturing a crocodile and strapping its powerful jaws closed the scientists extract blood from a large vein behind the head. "It's called a sinus, right behind the head, and it's very easy just to put a needle in the back of the neck and hit this sinus and then you can take a large volume of blood very simply," said Britton. The scientists hope to collect enough crocodile blood to isolate the powerful antibodies and eventually develop an antibiotic for use by humans. "We may be able to have antibiotics that you take orally, potentially also antibiotics that you could run topically on wounds, say diabetic ulcer wounds; burn patients often have their skin infected and things like that," said Merchant. However, the crocodile's immune system may be too powerful for humans and may need to be synthesized for human consumption. "There is a lot of work to be done. It may take years before we can get to the stage where we have something to market," said Britton. http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle....ROCODILE-DC.XML Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nexus Posted August 21, 2005 Share Posted August 21, 2005 Thats interesting. I also heard that the immune system of sharks was the same and they were testing it as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNay Posted August 21, 2005 Share Posted August 21, 2005 Good news. Hope it works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomX Posted August 21, 2005 Share Posted August 21, 2005 Great... but It's called "HI-Virus" or "HIV" not "HIV-Virus" :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lighthalzen Posted August 21, 2005 Share Posted August 21, 2005 Great... but It's called "HI-Virus" or "HIV" not "HIV-Virus" :) 586409724[/snapback] No wonder they come to us whenever we say "Hi". :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louis Posted August 21, 2005 Share Posted August 21, 2005 All we need now is a food cloner :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt T Posted August 21, 2005 Share Posted August 21, 2005 Great news :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRealDave Posted August 21, 2005 Share Posted August 21, 2005 Clone Crocodiles, take their blood and save people. Sounds like a good plan to me. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney T. Administrators Posted August 21, 2005 Administrators Share Posted August 21, 2005 Interesting... and it is HIV for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Barney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jase Posted August 21, 2005 Share Posted August 21, 2005 good news, hopfully this will work :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowIce Posted August 21, 2005 Share Posted August 21, 2005 sounds interesting - hope it works. someday they migth be able to genetically change our immun system to be stronger too.... kinda liek beeing crocodile man ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.Kompressor Posted August 21, 2005 Share Posted August 21, 2005 Reptillian mutations. ;) I really love how reptiles can regenerate lost limbs in months or less. that is cool. wish we can do that. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
illicit Posted August 21, 2005 Share Posted August 21, 2005 That's pretty interesting. Good news. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malisk Posted August 21, 2005 Share Posted August 21, 2005 This must be awesome for the gay crocs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+StevoFC MVC Posted August 21, 2005 MVC Share Posted August 21, 2005 This must be awesome for the gay crocs! 586411915[/snapback] umm right...way to be mature there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jgrodri Posted August 21, 2005 Share Posted August 21, 2005 lol at jugalator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ultomato Posted August 21, 2005 Share Posted August 21, 2005 Why havent they tried this earlier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A1Capone Posted August 21, 2005 Share Posted August 21, 2005 Great... but It's called "HI-Virus" or "HIV" not "HIV-Virus" :) 586409724[/snapback] Yeah, also when people talk about their ATM's "PIN Numbers" duuh! PIN or personal identification number, but never, PIN Number :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L3thal Veteran Posted August 21, 2005 Veteran Share Posted August 21, 2005 Hope they come up with somthing :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deathray Posted August 21, 2005 Share Posted August 21, 2005 They have known about this potential for a long time. I remember watching a documentary a year or two ago where they tested the crocodiles. It came down to i believe "test tube 13" or something like that, which held the crocodiles resistance to getting sick and such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marduk Posted August 21, 2005 Share Posted August 21, 2005 So THAT is why they never die from all of Steve Irwin's(croc hunter) "wrestling". On a more serious note, this is a great breakthrough! This is more usable than those ###### that are immune to the virus they found out about earlier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts