- Scientists have discovered a compound in Pseudomonas that can effectively kill certain fungi.
- The fungus killer was named after actor Keanu Reeves by a German researcher.
- The study authors say fungi could be used to effectively treat both crops and humans.
Like John Wick, new compounds discovered by scientists are effective killers.
Researchers at the Leibniz Institute in Germany have found that certain bacteria naturally contain compounds that are effective in killing fungi that affect plants and humans. We named them kianomycins A, B, and C after Reeves.
3 ceanumycins — lipopeptides of Pseudomonas bacteria, commonly found soil and water — isolated by scientists who tested their lethal properties. They found that the compound eliminated amoebas and fungi.
“Lipopeptides kill so efficiently that they are named after Keanu Reeves because he is also very deadly in his role,” said the study’s lead author, Sebastian Götze. rice field. in a press releaseThe scientists published their findings in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. in January.
Cianumycin was most effective in killing Botrytis cinerea, a botrytis fungus. strawberry and wine grapesand farmers commonly use chemical fungicides to prevent it from growing.
The authors of the study are now testing the theory that fungicides containing quinumycin could kill fungi in crops and provide a biodegradable option that leaves no chemicals in the soil or fruit.
Scientists also say it can help with another crisis: fungal infections in humans that are becoming less resistant to antifungal treatment. . yeast infection It is not toxic to humans, the study authors noted.
“We have a crisis in anti-infectives,” Götze said in a release. “Many human pathogens are now resistant to antifungal drugs, partly because of their extensive use in agriculture.”
So far, 2023 has seen several important scientific discoveries named after celebrities.
Ecuadorian biologists recently discovered a mysterious river frog and named it after fantasy writer JRR Tolkien.
Another pair of biologists discovered five new species of snakes in Central and South America. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio named the orange-eyed, snail-eating snake, which emits a “musky and unpleasant odor,” after his mother Irmelin Indenbirken.