The ability of dolphins to resist infection and heal quickly from shark bites could offer new insight into the treatment of human wounds, a researcher suggests. “Much about the dolphin’s healing process remains unreported and poorly documented,” Dr. Michael Zasloff, adjunct professor at Georgetown University Medical Center and former dean of research, said in a university news release. “How does the dolphin not bleed to death after a shark bite? How is it that dolphins appear not to suffer significant pain? What prevents infection of a significant injury?” asked Zasloff in a letter published July 21 in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. Similar injuries in people would be deadly, Zasloff said.
