The answer to fighting a growing number of superbugs may be in the water. Researchers in Australia have pinpointed a protein found in oysters as a way to make antibiotics more effective.
Oysters contain an antimicrobial protein similar to blood, according to a study published in the journal PLOS One. Researchers found the protein, called hemolymph, to be "effective" at killing the bacteria behind pneumonia, strep throat and scarlet fever, said The Guardian.
Many bacteria evade antibiotics by forming a "biofilm", or a community of "microorganisms that attach themselves to surfaces in a sticky, protective matrix", said Popular Science.
Hemolymph was effective at killing the bacteria on its own, and when paired with antibiotics also helped "improve their effectiveness against other infection-causing bacteria", said Smithsonian Magazine. Scientists believe the protein is successful because it disrupts the bacteria's biofilm.
"Most organisms have natural defence mechanisms to protect themselves against infection," said Professor Kirsten Benkendorff, a marine scientist at Australia's Southern Cross University and the study co-author. "Oysters are constantly filtering bacteria from the water, so they are a good place to look for potential antibiotics."
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are a growing concern. A study last year predicted that by 2050, about two million people a year could die from drug-resistant infections.
"Because of this, new antibiotic treatments that can inhibit, disrupt or penetrate biofilms are very valuable," said Benkendorff and Kate Summer, another co-author of the study, on The Conversation. But "more work is needed, including testing in animals and clinical human trials". | 
