Mystery of Deadly Last Resort Antibiotic Finally Solved After 70 Years
5 MAY 2021
In the eternal arms race between bacteria and antibiotics, deadly superbugs with resistance to humanity s most vital life-saving medicines continue to emerge and evolve.
It s a growing crisis, but thankfully we are not entirely powerless against the scourge of antibiotic resistance.
In medical scenarios where frontline treatments fail to help patients, doctors can turn to so-called drugs of last resort – treatments set aside until the eleventh hour has come, after prioritized therapies haven t worked out.
Drugs of last resort may be held back for a number of reasons, including side effects, cost factors, patient considerations, and more.
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IMAGE: The superbug Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which can cause lung infections in people on ventilators in Intensive Care Units. view more
Credit: IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON
Scientists have revealed how an antibiotic of last resort kills bacteria.
The findings, from Imperial College London and the University of Texas, may also reveal a potential way to make the antibiotic more powerful.
The antibiotic colistin has become a last resort treatment for infections caused by some of the world s nastiest superbugs. However, despite being discovered over 70 years ago, the process by which this antibiotic kills bacteria has, until now, been something of a mystery.
Scientists have revealed how an antibiotic of ‘last resort’ kills bacteria.
The findings, from Imperial College London and the University of Texas, may also reveal a potential way to make the antibiotic more powerful.
We were able to show colistin punctures both bacterial skins in the same way and this kills the superbug. Dr Andy Edwards Study author
The antibiotic colistin has become a last resort treatment for infections caused by some of the world s nastiest superbugs. However, despite being discovered over 70 years ago, the process by which this antibiotic kills bacteria has, until now, been something of a mystery.
An antibiotic of last resort kills bacteria by popping it like a balloon, scientists have revealed.
The findings, from Imperial College London and the University of Texas, also suggest a potential way to make the drug more powerful.
The antibiotic colistin has become a last-resort treatment for infections caused by some of the world’s nastiest superbugs, researchers say.
Although it was first described in 1947, the way in which it kills bacteria has been something of a mystery, until now.
Researchers have found that colistin punches holes in bacteria, causing them to pop like balloons.
The work, funded by the Medical Research Council and Wellcome Trust, and published in the journal eLife, also identified a way of making the antibiotic more effective at killing bacteria.