Alligators sustain serious injuries due to interspecies fighting, including loss of limbs, yet show remarkable powers to heal rapidly, almost always without infection. A Research Competitiveness Subprogram (RCS) awardee at McNeese State University is attempting to isolate and characterize the peptides that make the alligator so resistant to bacterial infection, research which could have important biotechnological and economic implications. If successful, the research could lead to a whole new class of antibiotic drugs for human and veterinary use.
