🌿 Naturepublished 2w ago
Horseshoe crab blood guards modern medicine from lethal bacteria
Horseshoe crabs have blue, copper-based blood containing specialized immune cells called amebocytes. When these cells detect even trace amounts of bacterial endotoxins, they rupture and form an impermeable jelly-like clot around the pathogen. The biomedical industry harvests this blood to produce Limulus Amebocyte Lysate, an indispensable testing agent used globally to certify that injectable vaccines, IV fluids, and surgical implants are completely free of dangerous bacterial contamination.
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