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[deleted] t1_iryb5wv wrote

https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mbio.02472-22

>new antifungal compound, solanimycin, produced by a hybrid polyketide/nonribosomal peptide (PKS/NRPS) system in Dickeya solani,the enterobacterial pathogen of potato. Solanimycin was active against abroad range of plant-pathogenic fungi of global economic concern andthe human pathogen Candida albicans.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candida_albicans#Role_in_disease

>Candida is found worldwide but most commonly compromises immunocompromised individuals diagnosed with serious diseases such as HIV and cancer. Candida are ranked as one of the most common groups of organisms that cause hospital-acquired infections. Especially high-risk individuals are patients that have recently undergone surgery, a transplant or are in the Intensive Care Units (ICU),[75] C. albicans infections is the top source of fungal infections in critically ill or otherwise immuncompromised patients.[76]

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tonymmorley OP t1_irybed4 wrote

"Antifungal compound helping disease-causing bacteria thrive may treat humans and plants, too." Cosmos, October 11th, 2022, Root Source here: New Antifungal Antibiotic

For 99% of our history as a species, we have been disproportionally outgunned in our war against the microbes, and desperately ignorant. And while we have made enormous progress in beating the microbes into submission, antibiotic resistance remains an ongoing challenge, particularly in livestock.

While it's early days for discoveries like this, some of which may take decades to reach the market, it shows that our improving mastery of genome sequencing is generating tangible innovation with future potential.

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iceyed913 t1_irycbpd wrote

Shit, so we nuke the bacteria with the fungi and then we nuke the fungi with the bacteria... Time for some selective breeding using competitive species ? 🤨

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OmarLittleFinger t1_iryf8d7 wrote

Replying to tonymmorley (#81,714)

So in addition to this we’ve discovered I think 2 other things recently.

  1. Led lights that produce UV that won’t hurt people
  2. Phages to kill bacteria

I think there was a third, but I’m tired.

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FuturologyBot t1_iryfkpq wrote

The following submission statement was provided by /u/tonymmorley:

"Antifungal compound helping disease-causing bacteria thrive may treat humans and plants, too." Cosmos, October 11th, 2022, Root Source here: New Antifungal Antibiotic

For 99% of our history as a species, we have been disproportionally outgunned in our war against the microbes, and desperately ignorant. And while we have made enormous progress in beating the microbes into submission, antibiotic resistance remains an ongoing challenge, particularly in livestock.

While it's early days for discoveries like this, some of which may take decades to reach the market, it shows that our improving mastery of genome sequencing is generating tangible innovation with future potential.

Please reply to OP's comment here: https://old.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/y1n4aw/new_antibiotic_hiding_in_diseased_potatoes/irybed4/

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WineSoda t1_irygruc wrote

I wish people understood the power of flora. They are the reason humans exist on Earth. They get no shelter, no protection from fire or cold, some have zero protection against being eaten, and we have houseplants that live longer than humans.

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StChello t1_iryk9ti wrote

Sooo, will sitting in a bath of moldy potatoes treat a yeast infection?

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NeroBoBero t1_irymhy5 wrote

If only my Irish Ancestors could have seen the day when diseased potatoes saved lives.

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that1cooldude t1_irypk7o wrote

Well, that’s the last time we’ll ever hear of this.

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Seeking_Happy1989 t1_irz4d0s wrote

Wow! I wonder if it might deal with antibiotic resistant diseases. Would it be effective with STDs or even AIDS or certain types of cancer?

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IntensifiedChesnuts t1_irz4fdu wrote

“new antifungal antibiotic called solanimycin”

Antibiotics =/= antifungals

This is the kind of sloppy science writing that leads to a quarter of the population being anti-vax.

There a ton of other problems with this article too.

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DrBabbage t1_irz4vog wrote

Replying to OmarLittleFinger (#81,912)

  1. Its relatively easy to make UV Leds that don't hurt people (UVA) while it is very hard to make LEDs that can do UVC to kill germs or fuck up your skin or retina. There are some LEDs http://www.cel.com/pdf/press/cel_uvc-leds_03262019.pdf but the output is low and they are expensive and inefficient CFL is much better at that job.

  2. Phage therapy is ancient. The soviets experimented a lot with that. It was phased out by antibiotics.

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[deleted] t1_irz5dji wrote

Replying to [deleted] (#83,070)

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2018.03081/full

>Despite exhibiting less virulence than C. albicans isolates, recent findings suggest that C. auris fails to activate the innate immune response and production of NETs by human neutrophils, what certainly may play a role in the high mortality associated to this infection.

Yeah, fun stuff. Juuuust lower enough to slip under the radar. Clearly someone is playing Plague Inc here.

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mastersheeef t1_irz68y6 wrote

bout time! i have my big toe nail that has fungus and needs haaallllpppp!

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Capt_Dex t1_irz9mb4 wrote

So the old wives tale of rubbing a potato on a wart had some ground after all

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spinjinn t1_irzdaoe wrote

So why are the potatoes diseased if they harbor this compound?

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DamonFields t1_irzglpj wrote

Who will be the first to wear diseased potatoes on their feet?

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wellforthebird t1_irzl22v wrote

Ok. But when the fungal infection mutates and gets stronger than the antibiotics found in diseased potatos. What do we do then? For plants and humans? I feel bad that plants got roped into the new death fungus.

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no_self_control22 t1_irzle3e wrote

So that lil black part on my French fry is potentially making me a superhuman? Noice

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LessHorn t1_irzlmct wrote

Quote from the article: “But you don’t turn it on unless you’re in a potato.”

🥔

🌈🤞🏻

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thechinovnik t1_irzpx0b wrote

I recently read somewhere that all forms of cancer contain some fungal matter and that anti-fungals could be used to treat cancer in the future!

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djuking t1_irzqgj0 wrote

Hope they make it fast enough to stop a "Last of Us" kind of scenario

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cguess t1_irzqpup wrote

Replying to CloudPeels (#84,252)

They're interesting but incredibly specific. Most antibiotics are gram positive or gram negative targeting and petty much nukes everything in that spectrum. It's easier and cheaper than engineering viruses for a specific bacterium.

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blauw67 t1_irzr2v8 wrote

That's not an antibiotic, that's a fungicide, which you know, is still amazing news, just the wrong word for it. But I guess it gives the discovery the hype it deserves.

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Jacobtheeddit t1_irzu9eq wrote

We understand how the universe works, but still the human body, not that much. Best machinery of all.

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Xw5838 t1_irzvafi wrote

Replying to NotEnoughHoes (#83,179)

That's literally been known for thousands of years by most of the world though. It's just Europeans & Americans that have denied it because they're traditionally slow on the uptake for historically simple medical solutions and also they'd rather use stainless steel on surfaces because it's cheaper.

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Abhi-shakes t1_irzw54z wrote

Replying to CloudPeels (#84,245)

Indians drink water in copper utensils because we are taught that it helps with digestion. In my home every one has their own copper water bottle instead of a plastic one.

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jugalator t1_is04b9z wrote

Now watch us overexploit that one so that we breed resistant bacteria and lose our potatoes too other than a specific bioengineered kind from Nestlé...

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Libra8 t1_is05xyq wrote

Nice if it worked on nail fungus. That stuff is tough to get rid of.

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Lil_Mafk t1_is060xb wrote

So is it an antibiotic or an anti fungal? If I include potatoes in my garden beds, will it prevent fungal microbes from infecting nearby plants?

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ExperientialTruth t1_is0axev wrote

Replying to MoveCarsMotherfucker (#84,943)

I told the joke above at my buddy's 50th bday party-slash-roast. His burly 100% Irish-American dad who can trace his family to a tiny Hamlet in the Irish country was not amused. Burly as in, motherfucker worked in Northeastern steel mills, was built like an ox, nearly ripped my arm out of its socket when he shook my hand first time I'd met him. And yet he charmed people with his ever present "what's new in your bailiwick?" RIP JIM, an imperfect man but unforgettable.

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plantmom363 t1_is0bejc wrote

thank god with climate change we need all the help we can get against resistant strains of fungal infections

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KJ6BWB t1_is0d0e6 wrote

Can it save the banana?

My previous comment saying that was too short, so here's more. The banana is threatened globally by a fungal infection. If we have a new antifungal treatment, could it help save the banana?

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LolcatP t1_is0fapg wrote

will this save those bananas that keep dying due to fungal infection?

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TheSonar t1_is0g0tm wrote

Replying to CloudPeels (#84,245)

You don't need to build the house lol. You can just replace the door knobs with brass ones. In fact you could do this right now, in a rental. When your lease is up, switch back in the old door knobs and take the brass door knobs with you.

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Probably_a_Shitpost t1_is0i92c wrote

Replying to [deleted] (#85,260)

Sorry to hear that. You'll have to forgive me, but with the whole pandemic and people saying that their miracle cures cured COVID in about 9 days when it would have cleared for any normal person in that time leaves me skeptical of everyone touting a treatment. I apologize

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TheDratter t1_is0k1s7 wrote

Replying to ExperientialTruth (#84,957)

This is almost the strangest place you could've chosen to write an obituary for your friend's dad, but sometimes it feels good to be strange. Condolences to your homeboy and his family.

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waterloograd t1_is0ra33 wrote

So is this an antibiotic or an antifungal? Or both? They use both terms as if they are the same thing

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DiceStrike t1_is0rpii wrote

Replying to Xw5838 (#84,422)

Oil and big Pharma changed all that in the late 1800’s early 1900’s .. most people don’t even know spearmint can repel spiders from homes. Now it’s these products that are recommended etc etc instead of the natural approach while trying to save our climate. Lol

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Virtual-Structure447 t1_is0wsdb wrote

PO-TA-TOES

Boil 'em

Mash 'em

Stick em in a stew.

Dissect the diseased ones and BOOM

New antibiotic for you.

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Embarrassed-Strike53 t1_is16x7x wrote

So it is an anti fungal or an antibiotic?

Because they are not the same thing and using them interchangeably makes the author sound like a moron…

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Loyal-to-Earth t1_is1rpz0 wrote

Replying to Xw5838 (#84,422)

In the Balkans, it is traditional to drink from copper vessels for water and coffee. Also in the same region, archeologists have discovered copper used at jewelry, and in burial rituals for thousands of years.

Now I don't know enough about use of copper in Native American culture, but they did use silver, which has antibacterial properties.

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IntensifiedChesnuts t1_is1te0z wrote

Replying to weedlayer (#85,747)

Yeah… and we shouldn’t drive on parkways, and park on driveways…

This is how the scientific community defines the term, and we need to use a consensus-based common language if we’re going to understand each other. Unfortunately we don’t get to change words or their definitions because we don’t feel like them.

You’re going to have to accept that this is how our community understands this word or change everyone’s mind.

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