Medical potential from bottom feeders

UQ biotechnology Honours student Sean Greenhalgh holds a sea cucumber

Moreton Bay sea cucumbers may have more to offer than just being a culinary delicacy on a dining table.

UQ biotechnology Honours student Sean Greenhalgh is testing the two main types of Moreton Bay sea cucumbers, the sandfish and peanutfish, to see if they contain antibacterial agents.

Sea cucumbers in India and sea urchins in Norway have been shown to have antibacterial compounds.

Most sea cucumbers are sausage shaped scavengers that feed on debris on the sea floor.

Mr Greenhalgh works from UQ's Moreton Bay Research Station on North Stradbroke Island and has collected and dissected about 60 samples to identify and extract antimicrobial peptides.

He said these peptides, which are sub-cellular particles, were the sea cucumbers' natural immune system.

“They create a natural protection for the creatures against bacteria and other microbes like fungus and also prevent viral infections,” Mr Greenhalgh said.

He said his long-term goal was to characterise useful peptides and synthetically create them as antibiotics for humans.

The Queensland Developmental Moreton Bay Bêche-de-mer Fishery is currently exporting Moreton Bay sandfish to Asia for use in traditional cuisine and medicine.

In 2005 the fishery produced 36 tonnes of gutted sea cucumbers with an estimated gross value of $300,000.

MEDIA: Mr Greenhalgh (3371 0464, 0419 775 220) or Miguel Holland at UQ Communications (3365 2619)