Snails to help fight antibiotic-resistant infections

Biologist Sarah Pitt found antibacterial properties in the mucus of ordinary garden snails. In theory, this mucus can help in the fight against superbugs - bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics, The Daily Mail reported.

According to the source, snail mucus can be effective against the ‘superbug’ Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which is not afraid of the strongest antibiotics and can cause lung infections and serious problems when it gets into the wound.

Dr. Pitt found four new proteins in snail mucus, at least three of which have antimicrobial properties, and two were uniquely effective against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The specialist isolated protein fractions from the mucus of snails and revealed smaller proteins in them. In the past, these small proteins have never come into the field of vision of scientists.

Now scientists are working on the synthesis of an artificial version of these proteins in the laboratory. In the long run, purified proteins can be added to a cream for the treatment of deep wounds such as burns or to a spray inhaler for the treatment of lung infections.

According to another study, cochlear mucus (also called mucin) can replace traditional surgical thread.

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