A CHEMICAL extracted from a deer鈥檚 sweat glands could one day provide a new treatment for athlete鈥檚 foot, tooth decay and acne. The chemical, discovered in sweat glands near the hoof, inhibits the growth of a range of bacteria and fungi in the laboratory. On a deer鈥檚 hoof it may help ward off infections.
William Wood of Humboldt State University in Arcata, California, discovered the substance in the black-tailed deer, which roams the western US and Canada. Wood studies how animals communicate with chemicals, and became interested in a set of sweat glands that lie close to the animals鈥� hooves. 鈥淣obody had really looked at these glands to see what was in there,鈥� he says.
Eventually, Wood purified an abundant chemical from the glands 鈥� a simple ketone with a long carbon chain. The chemical had no apparent effect on the deer鈥檚 behaviour. But, 鈥渙n a whim鈥�, Wood tested the chemical on a range of bacteria and fungi 鈥� many of which stopped growing.
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Susceptible microorganisms include those responsible for toxic shock syndrome, tooth decay, acne and dandruff, as well as athlete鈥檚 foot and a fungal infection of the groin known as 鈥渏ock itch鈥� in the US. The finding is interesting, says Wood, because scientists have always assumed that chemicals made in these sweat glands were used for marking trails and sending messages to other deer. But Wood鈥檚 finding suggests that at least one of the gland鈥檚 jobs might be to help fight infections. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 see why it couldn鈥檛 eventually be used in human medicine,鈥� he says.