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Assessment of antibiotic potentials of insect antibacterial factors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2011

Godwin P. Kaaya
Godwin P. Kaaya
Affiliation:
The International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), P.O. Box 30772, Nairobi, Kenya
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Abstract

Immune haemolymphs from the giant silkmoth, Hyalophora cecropia and, to a lesser extent, from the tsetse, Glossina morsitans morsitans possess antibacterial activities against several species of bacteria known to be pathogenic to man, animals and poultry, as demonstrated by in vitro bacterial growth inhibition assays. Cecropia immune haemolymph possesses a broader antibacterial spectrum and was found to be active against several Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria. Mice injected with pre-determined lethal doses of Enterobacter cloacae, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis and then treated with single intraperitoneal or subcutaneous injections of Cecropia immune haemolymph had much lower mortality than untreated controls. A possibility of developing a broad-spectrum antibiotic modelled on insect immune factors is discussed.

Résumé

Des haemolymphes immunisés obtenus à partir des grands papillons nocturnes à soie, Hyalophora cecropia et, à un niveau plus restreint, à partir de la mouche tsetse, Glossina morsitans morsitans, possèdent, comme le démontrent les essais in vitro d'inhibition de croissance bacterienne, des activités antibacteriennes contre plusieurs espèces de bacteries connues comme étant pathogènes à l'homme, animaux et volaille. L'haemolymphe immunisé de Cecropia a un spectre antibacterien très large et est trouvè actif contre plusieurs bacteries pathogènes Gram-positif et Gram-négatif. Des souris injectées avec une dose lethale prédeterminée d'Enterobacter cloacae, Klebsiella pneumoniae et de Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis et ensuite traitées avec une seule injection intraperitoneale ou sous cutanée d'haemolymphe immunisé de Cecropia avaient des taux de mortalité bien plus faibles que ceux des controles non traités. Une possibilité, de developpement d'un large spectre d'antibiotique calqué sur les facteurs immunisants d'insect, est discutée.

Keywords

Hyalophora cecropiaantibioticGlossina morsitans morsitansEnterobacter cloacaeKlebsiella pneumoniaeCorynebacterium pseudotuberculosisimmune haemolymphHyalophora cecropiaAntibiotiqueGlossina morsitans morsitansEnterobacter cloacaeKlebsiella pneumoniaeCorynebacterium pseudotuberculosishaemolymphe immunisé
Type
Research Articles
Information
International Journal of Tropical Insect Science , Volume 10 , Issue 3 , June 1989 , pp. 341 - 346
Copyright
Copyright © ICIPE 1989

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