The Sloth's Pharmaceutical Fur
Fungus growing on the fur of sloths harbours chemicals that may hold potential against disease. Three-toed sloths move as little as possible, and, in fact, are so inactive that fungus and algae actually grow on their fur. Dr. Sarah Higginbotham, a researcher at the School of Pharmacy at Queen's University, Belfast, has been involved in bio-prospecting in Panama with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, looking for interesting chemicals from fungi, associated with tropical plants, that might be sources of useful drugs. In discussions with a colleague, sloths came up, and they conceived a new idea. Dr. Higginbontham examined a sample of sloth fur, and found dozens of species of fungi, some of which produced chemicals that were active against cancer, bacteria and malaria, and may be potential drug candidates.
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