Seraticin is an

antibiotic An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention of ...

discovered by scientists at

Swansea University , former_names=University College of Swansea, University of Wales Swansea , motto= cy, Gweddw crefft heb ei dawn , mottoeng="Technical skill is bereft without culture" , established=1920 – University College of Swansea 1996 – University of Wa ...

able to inhibit 12 different strains of methicillin-resistant ''Staphylococcus aureus'' (MRSA), as well as ''E. coli'' and ''C. difficile''. The research was funded by the charity

Action Medical Research Action Medical Research, previously The National Fund for Research into Crippling Diseases, is a British medical research charity, founded in 1952, that focusses on funding research to prevent and treat disease and disability in babies and children ...

, with support from the Rosetrees Trust. Seraticin was isolated as a compound of less than 500 Da molecular weight from the maggot secretions of the

common green bottle fly The common green bottle fly (''Lucilia sericata'') is a blowfly found in most areas of the world and is the most well-known of the numerous green bottle fly species. Its body is in length – slightly larger than a house fly – and has brilli ...

(''Lucilia sericata'') It was patented in 2010 and has the molecular formula , but its chemical identity is unknown. It is speculated that

mechanism of action In pharmacology, the term mechanism of action (MOA) refers to the specific biochemical interaction through which a drug substance produces its pharmacological effect. A mechanism of action usually includes mention of the specific molecular targe ...

for seraticin is inhibition of

septal In biology, a septum (Latin for ''something that encloses''; plural septa) is a wall, dividing a cavity or structure into smaller ones. A cavity or structure divided in this way may be referred to as septate. Examples Human anatomy * Interatr ...

formation and

cell division Cell division is the process by which a parent cell (biology), cell divides into two daughter cells. Cell division usually occurs as part of a larger cell cycle in which the cell grows and replicates its chromosome(s) before dividing. In eukar ...

References

Antibiotics Drugs with undisclosed chemical structures {{Antibiotic-stub