Antibiotic Alligator: Promising proteins lurk in reptile blood

Researchers hunting for new antibiotics might get some aid from gator blood. Scientists are zeroing in on snippets of proteins found in American alligator blood that kill a wide range of disease-causing microbes and bacteria, including the formidable MRSA or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

BLOOD BATTALION. Alligator blood harbors proteins that show promise for fighting several disease-causing microbes, including methicillin-resistant bacteria.