The slime that covers the flat-fish plaice contains an antimicrobial agent that kills Staphylococcus aureus, the bacteria causing concern in hospitals across the globe as its drug-resistant strains spread.

Chemical engineer Trude Tvete of Nord-Trondelag University College (HiNT) in Norway, has developed a technique for extracting the antimicrobial protein from plaice slime and has tested its biological activity against several types of bacteria. "Previous research has shown that plaice slime kills bacteria, but it didn't show which substance breaks the bacteria," says Tvete. "I found that there is a protein in the slime that has the greatest effect."

The bacteria-killing proteins and the other substances in the fish slime are an important part of the animal's immune system providing protection against colonization of its skin and infection.

"Many bacteria-killing substances from mammals have been researched, but few have studied fish," adds Tvete. "The substances that can be isolated from fish have several properties that make them an attractive starting point for production of medications. They are built-up in a different way and can therefore overcome bacteria that have become resistant to antibiotics." One result of this research is that this slime could become the source of a new type of antiseptic agent for use by people, it may also lead to a new class of antibiotic to which S. aureus is not resistant.

The plaice has the potential to be farmed, so bio-products from its skin could be obtained quite readily, adding value to any farming venture and potentially reducing over-fishing pressure on marine ecosystems.

http://www.hint.no/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_plaice

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staphylococcus_aureus