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Australian Oyster Blood Could Be The Secret To Tackling A 'looming Global Health Crisis'

Slurping oysters may soon do more than just satisfy your seafood cravings. 

Australian scientists discovered a protein in the blood of Sydney rock oysters that not only kills bacteria but also boosts the power of conventional antibiotics.

The finding could be a game changer in the fight against antimicrobial resistance, which has been called a "looming global health crisis."

The discovery of a protein in Sydney rock oysters brings hope for natural alternatives to antibiotics that can treat infections. Southern Cross University Superbugs on the rise

Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria and other germs evolve to become stronger than the antibiotics designed to kill them, often due to their overuse and misuse.

Infections caused by these so-called "superbugs" are tougher, if not impossible, to treat, claiming more than 1 million lives worldwide each year since 1990.

The situation is only expected to get worse. A 2024 study predicted that antibiotic-resistant infections could cause more than 39 million deaths by 2050 — three fatalities every minute — without intervention. 

Antibiotic-resistant superbugs are a major global public health concern. TopMicrobialStock – stock.Adobe.Com

Researchers at Southern Cross University believe that Sydney rock oysters could play a role in combating the growing health crisis.

Nature's secret weapon

When developing new drugs, scientists often look to nature for inspiration, focusing on organisms with built-in defense mechanisms against infection. In fact, more than 90% of the antibiotics we rely on today come from natural sources.  

"Oysters are constantly filtering bacteria from the water, so they are a good place to look for potential antibiotics," Kirsten Benkendorff, a study co-author and an interdisciplinary marine scientist at Southern Cross, said in a statement. 

Sydney rock oysters could one day treat superbugs that have evolved to evade existing antibiotics. Getty Images/iStockphoto

In an earlier study, the team discovered that the protein found in hemolymph (aka oyster blood) was effective at killing Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus pyogenes, the bacteria responsible for pneumonia and strep throat, respectively. 

Normally, bacteria evades antibiotics and the immune system by forming clusters called biofilms, which encase themselves in a sticky, protective layer.

Researchers found that the oyster hemolymph protein helped block biofilm formation and could penetrate existing biofilms, allowing antibiotics to target the bacteria more effectively.

In lab tests, the oyster protein increased the effectiveness of antibiotics against a range of dangerous respiratory pathogens by as much as 32 times.

The results were particularly promising for Staphylococcus aureus (golden staph), a major cause of drug-resistant skin and bloodstream infections, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which poses a significant threat to immunocompromised patients with cystic fibrosis.

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Importantly, researchers said the oyster hemolymph protein wasn't toxic to healthy human cells, which suggests it could one day be used to develop natural products for treating bacterial infections. However, they cautioned that further study in animals and humans is needed. 

"In the meantime, slurping oysters could help keep the respiratory bugs away," Benkendorff said. "Oysters contain zinc, which boosts the immune system, and they have really good polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamins that also help modulate immunity."

Australian researchers found that oyster blood has antiviral properties. Southern Cross University

The slimy mollusks and their shells have long been a staple in traditional medicine to treat everything from inflammatory conditions and insomnia to high blood pressure and heart palpitations. 

And while there's no scientific evidence that oysters increase sex drive, they've long been considered a natural aphrodisiac.

Current Landscape Of Blood Culture Diagnostic Methods

Date:  May 31, 2023

Time: 10:00am (PDT),  1:00pm (EDT), 5:00pm (CEST)

Bloodstream infections (BSIs) are defined as a systemic infection resulting fromthe presence of viable microorganisms in the blood. BSIs are associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality, are a leading cause of death, globally, and a common cause of the life-threatening condition, sepsis. To best manage BSIs and prevent sepsis, fast and accurate diagnostic testing is necessary. Culture-based diagnostic methods for identification from positive blood culture require 24-hour subculture, potentially delaying time to appropriate therapy. Recently, several rapid, direct from positive blood culture diagnostic assays have emerged. These novel diagnostic assays include molecular-based assays and MALDI-TOF MS assays. Two rapid diagnostic assays, BioFire® FilmArray® BCID2 (bioMérieux, Durham, NC) and MBT Sepsityper Kit US IVD® (Bruker Daltonics GmbH & Co. KG, Bremen, Germany), and one culture-based method, the scum or short-culture method, were compared using positive blood cultures from the University of Maryland Medical Center. A total of 273 monomicrobial positive blood cultures, were collected from September 2021 to August 2022. Of the 273 monomicrobial cultures, FilmArray® BCID2 identified 88.3% (241/273) of pathogens. Rapid MBT Sepsityper Kit US IVD® identified 76.9% (210/273) of pathogens. MBT Sepsityper® Kit US IVD extraction method identified 82.4% (225/273) of pathogens.Total MBT Sepsityper Kit US IVD ® identified 88.3% (241/273) of pathogens. Scum or short culture was able to identify 83.5% (228/273) of the pathogens. Time-to-results forBioFire® FilmArray® BCID2 and MBT Sepsityper Kit US IVD® were approximately one hour or less. Time-to-results for scum was over five hours. In conclusion, performance of these platforms can reduce time-to-results and may help effectively treat bloodstream infections faster.

Learning Objectives

State the two most common pathogens causing bloodstream infections since 1997.

Discuss the relationship between antimicrobial intervention and survival rates in patients with septicemia.

Recall which of the assays presented utilize DNA-microarray.

Describe the advantages and disadvantages of MALDI-TOF technology, molecular technology and the scum method for rapid identification of microorganisms from positive blood cultures.

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New Study Reveals How Molecule On Certain Bacteria Drives Blood Clotting In Sepsis

New Delhi: A team of US scientists has uncovered how a molecule found on certain bacteria may drive blood clotting in sepsis -- a life-threatening condition that causes about eight million deaths per year.

The team at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) focused on the role of specific blood clotting mechanisms in sepsis.

About The Finding

The findings may pave the way for enhancing treatments for critically ill patients. They found that lipopolysaccharide, or LPS -- a molecule found on the surface of certain bacteria like E. Coli -- can directly activate proteins in the blood that trigger clotting.

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This process can both block blood flow and damage vital organs in a chain reaction where proteins in the blood work together to form clots. The researchers found a specific type of LPS, called O26:B6, that is particularly good at setting off this reaction, making it more likely to cause clotting problems.

The research, published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, is based on a study conducted in nonhuman primates. The team found that when bacteria containing LPS entered the bloodstream, it quickly activated the clotting system.

This included coagulating proteins like factor XII, which seems to initiate the clotting process, causing a chain reaction. "People who are born without factor XII are healthy and don't bleed abnormally," said Joseph Shatzel, a physician-scientist at OHSU.

"That makes it a great target for therapies -- blocking it might help stop dangerous clots without causing bleeding."

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Andre L. Lira, Postdoctoral scholar and lead author of the study, said his research focuses on how the physical properties of bacterial surfaces trigger the clotting system. Sepsis can arise from bacterial, viral, or fungal infections.

"Even when we know the bacteria causing the infection, different strains can behave differently," he said. "By understanding this, we hope to develop precision therapies." The team is working on experimental treatments targeting factor XII, including antibodies designed to block its activity.

(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

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