Ram Sethu or Adam’s Bridge may have raised political controversy, but a type of bacteria that lives in the vicinity holds promise to treat multi-drug resistant and extensive drug resistant strains of TB and the HIV.
Novel Streptomyces species R2, isolated from the coral reef ecosystem off the coast of Rameswaram in the vicinity of Ram Sethu, produces a substance called transitmycin, which is anti-bacterial and anti-viral in nature.
The Indian Council of Medical Research plans to utilise this natural substance from novel Streptomyces species R2 to fight the health menace of TB strains that have developed resistant to many known drugs.
Once the mandatory toxicity and bioavailability tests are completed, a new drug obtained from transitmycin will be available in the market.
ICMR has proposed to complete bio-availability and toxicity tests through research institutions or laboratories in the country. The substance will be tested for acute toxicity in rodents as part of the ICMR-sponsored research.
According to an ICMR research proposal, transitmycin shows activity against drug sensitive and drug resistant M tuberculosis including multi drug and extra drug resistant isolates, and different clades of HIV.
ICMR scientists have found the structure of transitmycin to be novel.