Applied Microbiology Inc. (AMBI) announced Friday that itreceived U.S. patent No. 5,135,190 for the use of Ambicin-Nbacteriocin to treat conditions of the oral cavity.

Ambicin-N is a form of nisin, a non-toxic, naturally occurringpeptide effective against bacteria in the oral cavity. AMBI'sscientists have increased nisin's effectiveness against gram-positive bacteria, the only application nisin had beenconsidered active against, and extended its scope of activity toinclude gram-negative bacteria.

Opportunities for AMBI's Ambicin-N based products in a $3billion to $4 billion annual U.S. market include toothpaste,mouth rinse and other dental preparations, the company said.

AMBI of New York develops protein anti-microbial agentscalled ambicins that are safe and effective alternatives toantibiotics and chemical germicides for killing certain bacteria.

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