Platypus milk, from the aquatic mammal that inhabits Australia and Tasmania, may contain a unique ingredient that could be utilized in the production of drugs against superbugs in the near future, Australian scientists have discovered.
The protein from the milk of the female platypus could be used to combat bacteria resistant to all known antibiotics, the scientists say.
– Platypuses are very unusual animals, so it is not surprising that they have unusual biochemistry, says research leader Janet Newman, whose results were published in the scientific journal Structural Biology Communications.
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Dr. Newman and her colleagues from the independent Australian government organization CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization) are trying to explain why platypus milk is so effective. In laboratory experiments, they replicated a special protein from the animal’s milk.
The animal belongs to the class of mammals and the order monotremes.
The platypus is a mammal from the order monotremes that exhibits some characteristics of reptiles and birds, such as laying eggs. It can grow up to 50 cm long and weigh up to 1.7 kg. Its body is flattened and covered with brown, waterproof fur, its legs are short with webbing between the toes, and its bill is flat and sensitive to touch. It feeds on invertebrates, frogs, smaller fish, and their eggs. It lives alone, is active at night, during twilight, and dawn. Its natural enemies are foxes and birds of prey. It inhabits rivers and lakes along the eastern Australian coast and Tasmania.
