Fleas help protect implants from bacterial settlement.
Now a Japanese research team has discovered that frogs could assist in combating colorectal cancer.
They tested 45 bacterial strains from the intestines of Japanese tree frogs, fire belly newts and grass lizards and found one particular strain from the tree frog to be most effective.
It killed all tumour cells without causing damage to other organs after being intravenously administered to a model mouse intestine.
The bacteria, which disappeared after 24 hours, also stimulated the immune system to produce cancer-fighting T-cells and white blood cells. Minor side effects lasted no more than 72 hours.
Other research might help reverse colorectal cancer, while the hunt continues for a universal vaccine against cancer.
