Cockroach Brains Have Medicinal Value
Extracts of ground-up brain and other nerve tissue from the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana, and desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria, killed more than 90 percent of a type of E. coli that causes meningitis, and also killed methicillin-resistant staph [MRSA]…
“Some of these insects live in the filthiest places ever known to man,” says Naveed Khan, co-author of the new study. “These insects crawl on dead tissue, in sewage, in drainage areas. We thought, ‘How do they cope with all the bacteria and parasites?’”
Full article on new insect antimicrobials for fighting infectious diseases in humans.
Image credit: Flickr/Gustavo Duran
YUCK!
The thought is disgusting enough. We could have done quite nicely without the photo, thank you.
Soon the saying will be changed to, “A cockroach a days keeps the doctor away.”
Attila, my feelings are hurt. I thought the photo added pizzazz.
That an interesting theory. Organisms that live on filth must have an immunity that could be imparted on something else. I wonder what happens if you eat them?
Devon: There’s only one way to find out.
You go first…
I think I’ll pass on the cockroach pills.
What would PETA say about this inhumane experimentation on innocent cockroaches?