| Home
Muskrat poop may help treat food poisoning
The London News.Net
Thursday 13th November, 2008 (ANI)
London, Nov 13 : Scientists have found that the excrement of muskrats - the semi-aquatic rodents prized for their musk - contains an antibiotic that can treat food poisoning.
Ki Keun Kim and colleagues at Pusan National University, South Korea, have found that muskrat excrement contains a potent antibiotic that can kill the Salmonella bacteria, a common cause of food poisoning, and also the Vibrio bacteria that cause seafood-linked food poisoning.
The antibiotic was also found to be effective against Staphylococcus aureus, a common cause of opportunistic infections, reports New Scientist.
Also, the experiments revealed that the compound kills termites as well, thus providing an environmentally friendly method of insect control.
It is possible to collect the antibiotic by drying the faeces, and then using an organic solvent to extract the compound.
However, the patent did no reveal anything about the chemistry of the compound, or if could be safely administered to humans.
 Email this story to a friend
Have your say on this story
|
 |
 |
- Don't want to see John with an England jumper on, says Ponting
London, July 3 (IANS) With just five days left for the Ashes, Australian captain Ricky Ponting again made it clear that he is not happy with John Buchanan's decision to join the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) as an adviser. [read story]
- Sree Dasari turns matchmaker on 'Big Brother'
London, Jul 3 : Big Brother contender Sree Dasari has been handing out love tips to Freddie Fisher on how to land Charlie. [read story]
- Women deluging Oz town yearning for Nicole Kidman's 'fertility water'
London, July 3 : Tourists have been flocking to an Australian town ever since Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman has revealed that she got pregnant after swimming in a nearby waterfall. [read story]
- Taliban 'on the run' in Pak: Qureshi
London, July 3 : Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that the Taliban are 'on the run' in the country, as the government has launched a series of military operations against them and other militant organisations. [read story]
- Jacko to be buried in 2,50,000 dlrsold plated coffin
London, July 3 : Late King of Pop Michael Jackson will be buried in a solid bronze, gold-plated coffin worth a whopping 2,50,000 dollars, say reports. [read story]
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
