Oyster Blood Protein Helps Fight Against Superbugs: Study

Sydney: A protein found in the blood of Australian oysters could help in the fight against antibiotic-resistant superbugs, according to a study published on Tuesday.

The study led by a team from Australia's Southern Cross University (SCU) discovered that a protein in the blood of the Sydney rock oyster is capable of killing bacteria as well as increasing the effectiveness of some antibiotics against a range of bacteria, Xinhua news agency reported.

In laboratory tests, they found that the protein was effective at killing Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus pyogenes, the bacteria that cause pneumonia and strep throat, respectively.

When used with antibiotics, the protein made them between two and 32 times more effective at killing the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The researchers said that the study supported the potential use of natural products from oysters to treat bacterial infections.

They found that the protein is not toxic to human cells, indicating that it should be possible to optimise a safe antibiotic from oyster blood.