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Spheniscin, a peptide produced by the stomach of the king penguin, alters
the growth of microorganisms – here, the growth of
Aspergillus fumigatus
(left, control sample; right, with penguin peptide). From Thouzeau C,
et
al. J Biol Chem
2003 ; 278 : 51023-8.
© Philippe Bulet
of nosocomial infections,
Staphylococcus aureus
and the pathogenic fungus responsible for aspergillosis.
Moreover, this protein is very effective in saline environments – the salinity of the penguin's stomach
is comparable to that of our eyes – unlike most antibiotics. Now, bacterial resistance to antibiotics has
become an emerging major
public health concern, and
there is a dramatic lack of
antimicrobial agents able to
fight eye infections.
Even with all the expertise in
biology required to identify
such a molecule and its
structure, it would not have
been enough. It took innovate
new methods to collect
microsamples of gastric
content at the different stages
of the incubation, in satisfactory asepsis conditions, and without, of course, disturbing the animals and
cause reproduction to fail. If a penguin stops incubating, it stops keeping its food in its stomach and
digests it. But how should we go about studying an animal in its environment?
Adapting research to the natural
environment
For centuries, animals have been studied from
their only remains brought from expeditions.
The approach entailing the description of
their ways of life and behaviours through
undisturbed observation is a very recent one:
it was made possible by the considerable
progress that has been achieved in the last
few decades in computing and electronic
miniaturization.