Antibiotic-resistant bacteria pose a major threat without novel treatments. Thankfully, relief may come from a winged insect few would welcome into their lives. Insect venom is a complicated compound made up of many different proteins, peptides, and enzymes. Some of these compounds are quite useful for killing bacteria.
Unfortunately, many are also toxic to humans which have limited their medicinal uses, until now. On Friday, researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced a study in which they altered venom from South American wasps to kill off bacteria, without being toxic to humans. After lab-testing the toxicity of the altered wasps’ venom, the research team tested the compound in laboratory mice infected with an antibiotic-resistant bacteria common in the urinary tract and burn injury infections. The most potent venom variant was able to completely eradicate…
