Costa Rican sloth antibiotics offer hope for human medicine

By Agence France-Presse

May 02, 2023 12:51 am

THE fur of Costa Rican sloths appears to harbor antibiotic-producing bacteria that scientists hope may hold a solution to the growing problem of 'superbugs' resistant to humanity's dwindling arsenal of drugs.

A sloth hangs from a tree branch at the Sloth Sanctuary and Rescue Shelter in Cahuita, Limon Province, Costa Rica, on March 10, 2023. - The fur of the Costa Rican sloth can produce antibiotics that keep at bay pathogens tha could make the tropical animal sick. Now, scientists wonder whether they could apply this to humans. Max Chavarria, a researcher at the University of Costa Rica, found in the notoriously lazy mammals' fur a unique mix of insects, fungi, algae and bacteria creating a delicately balanced biome that keeps sickness away. (Photo by Ezequiel BECERRA / AFP)

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