Researchers from Italy found that a naturally occurring agent in frog skin may inhibit multi-drug resistant bacterial strains associated with hospital-acquired infections. Resistance to current antibiotic therapies is on the rise in both hospital and community settings. With some bacterial strains now resistant to every available drug, a return to the preantibiotic era in regard to such infections is cause for great concern. Researchers have identified antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as one of the most promising candidates for future therapeutic use and they have found amphibian skin to be one of the richest sources of such AMPs.
