A BBC television producer working in Australia has stumbled on a substance that can kill the bacteria immune standard antibiotics.
The BBC director general Greg Dyke, said the discovery was made during the filming of saltwater crocodiles in northern Australia for a science documentary.
Says the producer noticed that despite the horrendous injuries crocodiles inflict on each other, their wounds rarely get infected.
The documentary team has obtained a blood sample from a coconut and researchers have since isolated what they described as a novel antimicrobial peptide.
Mr Dyke said tests found the substance kills strains of virulent bacteria that are resistant to all standard antibiotics.
The substance was named Crocodillin.
