Scientists discover how to supercharge antibiotics to ‘blow up’ deadly superbugs
By modifying antibiotics, scientists at University College London found the drugs could tear away at the bug's surface and kill them
SCIENTISTS have found a way to supercharge antibiotics so they can “blow up” deadly superbugs.
The findings open up a promising new way of overcoming infections previously thought to be resistant to the drugs.
Antibiotics have “keys” that fit “locks” on the surface of bacteria, allowing them to latch on.
When a bacterium becomes resistant to a drug, it effectively changes the locks so the key will no longer fit.
But researchers from University College London found modified antibiotics can still destroy bacteria if they “force the lock” by pushing hard enough.
This tears the surface and slays the germ.
Study leader Dr Joseph Ndieyira said: “Some of the antibiotics were so strong they tore the door off its hinges, killing the bacteria instantly!”
The researchers used sensitive equipment to measure the forces that four different antibiotics exerted on bacterial cells.
Among those tested were vancomycin, a powerful antibiotic used as a last resort treatment for MRSA, and oritavancin, a modified version of vancomycin used against complex skin infections.
Our findings will help us not only to design new antibiotics but also to modify existing ones to overcome resistance
Dr Joseph Ndieyira
They found that oritavancin pressed into resistant bacteria with a force 11,000 times stronger than vancomycin, despite having the same “keys”.
Oritavancin is a fast-acting antibiotic that can kill bacteria in 15 minutes, whereas vancomycin takes six to 24 hours.
Dr Ndieyira said: “Our study suggests that the forces oritavancin generates can actually tear holes in the bacteria and rip them apart.
“Our findings will help us not only to design new antibiotics but also to modify existing ones to overcome resistance.
“Oritavancin is just a modified version of vancomycin, and now we know how these modifications work we can do similar things with other antibiotics.
“This will help us to create a new generation of antibiotics to tackle multi-drug resistant bacterial infections, now recognized as one of the greatest global threats in modern healthcare.”
England’s top doctor Dame Sally Davies has said drug-resistant infections pose a “catastrophic threat” on a par with terrorism and climate change.
Growing antibiotic resistance could soon leave millions defenceless against common ailments such as food poisoning and pneumonia.
Dr Susan Hopkins, a consultant in Infectious Diseases at the Royal Free Hospital, East London, said: “This important study further advances our knowledge on antibiotic resistance.
“The findings could allow more rapid screening of new potential antibiotics especially targeting antimicrobial resistance bacteria and optimising antibiotic doses used in clinical practice.”
The findings are published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports.
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