CANBERRA, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Australian researchers have discovered why a protein found in platypus milk is capable of fighting superbugs.
In 2010 it was discovered that platypus milk contained unique antibacterial properties that could be used in the fight against antimicrobial resistant bacteria, commonly known as superbugs.
A study released on Thursday by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and Deakin University has discovered why the milk is so potent.
Lead researcher Janet Newman from the CSIRO and her team successfully replicated a protein only found in the milk of monotremes, such as platypuses and echidnas, and discovered it was made up of a unique three-dimensional structure.
"The protein that was replicated was a protein called "Monotreme Lactation Protein" and it is found only in the milk of monotremes, whereas most of the other components of monotreme milk have counterparts in placental mammalian (cow or human) milk," Newman told Xinhua News on Thursday.
"This protein displays activity against only a subset of bacteria - Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus for example, but not against the normal gut flora found in (platypus) pups.
"Trials as a therapeutic are a long way away, but we believe that this protein might be the basis for topical antibiotic treatments; wound dressings, for example."
Because platypuses do not have teats it is instead expressed onto their underside for their young to suckle, potentially exposing it to bacteria in the environment.
Julie Sharp, a researcher from Deakin University, said it was this process that researchers believed was the reason behind the milk containing the antibacterial protein.
"We were interested to examine the protein's structure and characteristics to find out exactly what part of the protein was doing what," Sharp said in a CSIRO media release.
The World Health Organization has warned that superbugs pose the single biggest threat to public health.
The CSIRO is looking for collaborators to take the platypus protein research to the next stage.
