Horse dung may save your life
B. McPherson
Copper metal kills bacteria. Copper plated push plates on doors cut infections.
Horse poop has long been known as great for gardens, but
save your life? Mushroom growers know that horse manure is ideal for producing
those delectable morsels. A mushroom of a different kind – the inky cap(Coprinus comatus) has researchers hot on
the trail of a new antibiotic.
The promising new compound is copsin, a protein substance
that interferes with cell wall formation. Bacteria have cell walls. Scientists
are reproducing the substance via genetically modified yeast. It is a long way
from growing yeast in small scale batches to industrial production and clinical
trials.
Medical researchers have been sounding the alarm about
multi-resistant bacterial infections. Gradually, as an antibiotic comes into
widespread use, it loses its ability to kill bacteria. When penicillin was
first produced it could wipe out nearly any infection, revolutionizing modern
medicine.
Other fungal based bacteria killers also came on line to help fight
disease. But over time, bacteria have evolved resistance to the compounds.
The situation has not been helped with careless prescribing
of antibiotics for people. But 85% of antibiotic use in N. America is used in
the agriculture industry. From feeding animals to produce faster weight gain to
spraying on fruit crops to keep the spots off, by far the greatest use of
antibiotics is in agriculture.
Other names for inky cap:
lawyers wig, shaggy mane
Shaggy mane mushrooms are also nematode killers. They are
able to kill and digest small round worms. Organisms in the Fungus Kingdom
exhibit characteristics like plants at times, and at other times exhibit animal
like characteristics.
Sources:
Journal of Biological Chemistry
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