Re: KT boundry event

On 27 Apr 2006 17:05:06 -0700, uraniumcommittee@xxxxxxxxx wrote:


r norman wrote:


Is there any reason to suppose that carnivorous dinosaurs had bacteria
in their mouths like Komodo dragons, which they use to kill prey.

Everybody has bacteria in their mouths.

Bacteria like that of the Komodo dragons?

The most common bacterium found in the saliva of wild Komodo dragons
was E. coli. Pasteurella multocida seemed to be the most toxic one.
See "Aerobic salivary bacteria in wild and captive Komodo dragons."
Montgomery et al., J Wildl Dis. 2002 Jul;38(3):545-51

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=12238371&query_hl=3&itool=pubmed_docsum

However it isn't the bacteria that are really the problem but rather
good old fashioned snake toxins. They, like the Gila Monster and the
Mexican beaded lizard, the two other lizards previously known to
produce venom, form a clade with the venomous snakes (but you don't
believe in clades, I recall). See "Early evolution of the venom
system in lizards and snakes" by B. Fry et al, Nature. 2006 Feb
2;439(7076):584-8. Epub 2005 Nov 16.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16292255&query_hl=6&itool=pubmed_docsum

There was a science show about the Komodo dragon venom in December
2005 referring to a Nature paper published that November but I can't
find the publication. But check out
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/science/ss/stories/s1520986.htm





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Relevant Pages

  • Re: KT boundry event
    ... in their mouths like Komodo dragons, which they use to kill prey. ... Everybody has bacteria in their mouths. ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Re: suck out pathogens with a mini-pump?
    ... Snake venom is different. ... Unlike bacteria, venom doesn't ... Sort of like the rash. ...
    (sci.med.diseases.lyme)
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