Moth gut bacteria could help create new antibiotics
Cotton Leafworm, Spodoptera Littoralis

This benevolent bacteria fends off deadly microbial invaders S. Thiessen, MPI for Chemical Ecology The cotton leafworm, Spodoptera Littoralis, holds a bacterium in its gut capable of fending off unwanted, deadly microbes. Moths are herbivores. The last thing they want are tiny bugs in their bellies. But they give a pass to one bacterium—E. mundtii. In…