title: [Man's own antibiotics--an innate immune system].
abstract: In 1981, Steiner and co-workers of Stockholm described a newly discovered type of potent antibacterial peptides which lack cysteine, so called cecropins, which are spiral-formed molecules of 30-40 amino acids found to kill bacteria within a few minutes by disintegration of the bacterial cell wall, but to do no damage to the membrane of insect or mammalian cells. To date, descriptions have been published of about a hundred peptide antibiotics from various mammals (including man), birds, frogs, many types of insects. Peptide antibiotics exert a bacteriostatic effect on the normal flora of the skin and of the oral cavity and other orifices. It is also possible that peptide antibiotics protect us against many pathogenic organisms.
authors.affiliation: Mikrobiologiska institutionen, Stockholms universitet.
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Boman
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009055:Mouth / Q000382:microbiology; D010455:Peptides / Q000235:genetics; D012867:Skin / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D010455:Peptides
vernacular_title: Människans egna antibiotika--det medfödda immunförsvaret.