Plants and animals naturally produce all kinds of broad-spectrum substances that kill bacteria. This is one reason a seed does not rot in the ground or why we rarely get bacterial infections on our cornea.
Studying these natural anti-biotics is attractive for pharma as bacteria today are acquiring more and more resistance to our man-made anti-biotics. Yet, is this a good idea? A recent experient has shown that given enough time and the right conditions bacteria can develop resistance to these natural bacterial poisons as well. Developing a new anti-biotic based on one that is naturally found in our mouths, for instance, may seem appealing, but what happens when resistance finally appears? We would expect these bacteria to also be resistant to our bodies' native defense as well, which could become a public health disaster. Sounds like another good reason for some regulatory supervision.
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