Soil Bacteria May Fight Parasites
A protein made by common soil bacteria may help treat a widespread parasitic problem in ruminants, according to a recent study. But any commercial products—in veterinary or human medicine—likely remain years away.
An article published in November in the International Journal of Parasitology: Drugs and Drug Resistance describes promising results for a Haemonchus contortus treatment in sheep that uses crystal proteins contained in the cell walls of killed Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria. Similar crystal lysate powders have been used as insecticides in farming for decades.