Urumin is a 27-amino acid virucidal host defense peptide, originally isolated from the skin of the South Indian frog Hydrophylax bahuvistara. Urumin is virucidal for H1 hemagglutinin bearing human influenza A viruses, in which it specifically targets the conserved stalk region of H1 hemagglutinin, and is effective against drug-resistant H1 influenza viruses that are resistant to oseltamivir, zanamivir and peramivir. Urumin appears to inhibit viral growth by physically destroying influenza virions, and can also protect naive mice from lethal influenza infection in vivo.
