ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, April 18, 1996 TAG: 9604180030
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-10 EDITION: METRO
YOU WON'T see their likenesses on postage stamps.
You won't see winsome plush and stuffed versions of them on toy-store shelves.
You won't see bright-colored drawings of leeches and ticks and blood-sucking bats on bumper-stickers that call you to action to save their numbers.
May they multiply anyway.
Though they have none of the charm of the beautiful, shy panda; none of the magnificence of the mysterious whale; none of the breathtaking power of the American eagle in flight, all of these little bloodsuckers - mosquitoes and hookworms and sand flies, too - all are valuable creatures that deserve to be regarded as something more than disgusting pests.
Which they are, too, of course (except for the bats, which may look scary to the horror-movie saturated mind, but are timid and largely harmless - so leave them alone).
All of these unhuggable critters are the subjects of various scientific efforts to develop a natural anticoagulant stronger than the chemicals now available to prevent blood clots in heart patients and people recovering from surgery.
One drug, derived from the saliva of vampire bats, dissolves clots. The Wall Street Journal reports that a recombinant version of a protein found in the saliva, and produced by one drug company in the ovary cells of Chinese hamsters, not only breaks up life-threatening blood clots but can target the clots, avoiding the potential danger of bleeding.
The drug has its drawbacks, and scientists are working on finding a better alternative, perhaps by pairing it with another drug. But one day, bat spit may save the life of someone you love.
So, while 'skeeters and ticks and sand flies are in no danger of extinction that we've noticed, word of their unexpected usefulness does serve as a reminder that all of nature has a purpose, whether pleasing to humankind or not, and care must be taken to preserve it. The old hymn sings in praise of "all creatures great and small," making no exception for icky, biting nuisances - and rightly so.
That doesn't mean we don't swat 'em, of course. In nature, there must be balance.
LENGTH: Short : 48 linesby CNB