Scientists have found out that alligator blood is able to fight different kinds of bacteria including even MRSA “Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus“. This is due to the presence of several peptides within the alligator’s blood which pose as a natural barrier against bacterial infection. This particularly comes in handy since alligators are known to live in conditions very preferrable for the growth of microorganisms, mainly in swamps to be exact.

The idea first struck Dr. Mark Merchant when he noticed that despite of their habitat, alligators seem to strive quite normally with scratches & bruises in their skin. Researchers then isolated an alligator’s serum & did a comparative analysis against human serum. Out of 23 strains of bacteria, human serum was able to conquer only eight, while that of the alligator’s stood undefeated against all 23. Not just that, but the serum was also tested on HIV & surprisingly, a great amount of the virus was also destroyed.

Surely, the benefit of this discovery would arise once those peptides are sequenced & their exact chemical structure identified to manufacture them in labs as it would be pretty unreasonable in terms of animal rights AND cost-wise to slaughter alligators for their blood.

Drugs containing these peptides are expected to become available within the next 8-10 years & would definitely prove very useful for patients highly vulnerable to infections as in certain autoimmune diseases, diabetes, burn victims and those with open surgical wounds.