Seaside slime "could wipe out superbug"

Rock pool slime could hold the secret of a cure for the hospital 'superbug' MRSA, scientists say. Scottish researchers have found several types of bacteria, which, together, act as a powerful natural antibiotic against MRSA (methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus), one of the biggest problems affecting hospital hygiene today.

One bacterium in particular is proving effective and has attracted interest from major pharmaceutical companies. MRSA, which is responsible for an increasing number of deaths generally in hospital situations, has built up resistance to antibiotics commonly used, thus doctors are searching for something new with which to treat it.

Researchers from Edinburgh-based company AquaPharm Bio-Discovery have been awarded 50,000 pounds sterling to continue their studies.

The company is keeping the identity of the MRSA-killing bacteria a secret and has taken out patents on how they can be cultivated and used. They are collected by scraping off the surface slime from rocks, plants and invertebrates such as sea anemones.

Dr Jonathan David, technical director at AquaPharm, said: "It's essentially beachcombing. We go for whatever we think is likely to be of interest. There are certain sites to look for - basically it's down to experience. Usually we take some of the substrate on which the bacteria live and put it in vials."

They say the marine environment is an untapped source of potential drugs. It is estimated that only 5% of the marine environment has been described and that between 500,000 to 5,000,000 species, mostly micro-organisms, are still to be discovered.

Antibiotics such as penicillin are compounds produced in the struggle for survival in microbe communities. The hunt for ever more efficient antibiotics has led to a new generation of 'bio-prospectors' - such as AquaPharm - looking for natural weapons against disease.