Powerful New Antibiotic Kills Drug-Resistant Bacteria

Teixobactin: Powerful New Antibiotic Kills Drug-Resistant Bacteria

Great news from the field of medecine. Some egghead has dicovered a new antibiotic which fights a wide range of bacterial diseases that have become resistant to the previous drugs used to treat the patient. This discovery is huge in my opinion and will be useful in developing a treatment that actually works.

A group of researchers led by Prof Kim Lewis of Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, has discovered a new antibiotic that eliminates Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Bacillus anthracis and other dangerous pathogens without encountering any detectable resistance.

It gets even better. Originally, antibiotics were found by screening soil organisms which then had to be cultivated in a lab. This produced only a limited amount which couldn't keep up with the need and demand of a sick society. Many people lost their lives and those who lived were likely only those who could afford such exotic medicine. This latest discovery has produced more than one amazing antibiotic.

“NovoBiotic has since assembled about 50,000 strains of uncultured bacteria and discovered 25 new antibiotics, of which teixobactin is the latest and most interesting,” said Prof Lewis, who is the senior author of the paper published in the journal Nature.

From Nature,

A new antibiotic kills pathogens without detectable resistance

Uncultured bacteria make up approximately 99% of all species in external environments, and are an untapped source of new antibiotics. We developed several methods to grow uncultured organisms by cultivation in situ or by using specific growth factors. Here we report a new antibiotic that we term teixobactin, discovered in a screen of uncultured bacteria. Teixobactin inhibits cell wall synthesis by binding to a highly conserved motif of lipid II (precursor of peptidoglycan) and lipid III (precursor of cell wall teichoic acid). We did not obtain any mutants of Staphylococcus aureus or Mycobacterium tuberculosis resistant to teixobactin. The properties of this compound suggest a path towards developing antibiotics that are likely to avoid development of resistance.

Below is a cool picture that offers nothing except eye candy, lol. Microbiology can be boring without artist renderings. And last but not least, a shameless plug to my previous thread about fighting viral infections. Take a peek. Thanks for reading!


More details about Teixobactin. Click to enlarge.

Until they develop a resistance to this it's a victory I guess..

a reply to: eisegesis

Good news for most, however I'm penicillin allergic.

Where I live is a hot bed of nasty bugs and viruses. It'd be nice to know there are alternative defenses available.

originally posted by: Yeahkeepwatchingme
Until they develop a resistance to this it's a victory I guess..

If you mean "they" as in the bacteria, the point of the study was to eliminate that fear. They have discovered no mutations and no resistance from certain strains. Are you saying they might still develop a resistance over time? I guess anything is possible.

Good news for us....bad news for bacterium!
S&F!

I think the coolest part of this story is that the microbes use this "antibiotic" to protect themselves from other microbes that might want to eat them or do them harm.
I guess being a microbe is a tough life so even though they are tiny and seem insignificant nature gave them a way to protect themselves.

a reply to: eisegesis

Yes. That is what I am saying.

2nd for appeasement.

originally posted by: stirling
Good news for us....bad news for bacterium!
S&F!

Exactly. Now for some microbiology humor!


Don't do drugs, they mess with your genome.

That's good news. The more cures there are the merrier!

a reply to: eisegesis

Interesting to know I'm not gonna die from a resistant strain of germs anymore.

a reply to: Sinter Klaas

Never fear! We still have plenty of supervolcano eruptions, asteroids, and ET invasions on the table

originally posted by: Yeahkeepwatchingme
a reply to: Sinter Klaas

Never fear! We still have plenty of supervolcano eruptions, asteroids, and ET invasions on the table

ET for the win.

a reply to: eisegesis

Now if they can only create a super drug that is FDA resistant...maybe we'll be able to use them within our lifetimes.

a reply to: eisegesis

Great to read good news at a time when many feel low in the upper hemisphere due to the grey storms and winds.

I did read somewhere the other day a new anti biotic from one of my favourite plants, honeysuckle also so our medid magicians are doing their jobs brilliantly.

a reply to: Shiloh7

Check the plug in the last paragraph of the OP. I thought people would be more interested, but they prefer to focus on racism, guns and religion at the moment. The trifecta of distraction to positive advancements such as this.