A novel way to end the superbug reign

A novel way to end the superbug reign

A team of researchers from the University of East Anglia, in the UK, have found a weak spot in the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria. These bacteria are found in our gastrointestinal tract, and due to the wide misuse of antibiotics, some are now antibiotic-resistant.

These superbugs can cause a variety of ailments that range from blood infection to pneumonia and meningitis. Changjiang Dong, the leading researcher, told Wired UK: “These drug resistance numbers increase every year, making antibiotics useless, which results in hundreds and thousands of patient’s deaths.” 

But now Dong and his team found out that they can be killed. They found that these bacteria use two proteins, Lpt D and E, to create their outer membrane. The solution is simply to block the path for these proteins, rendering the superbugs unable to defend themselves. 

This works opens up a whole new pathway for the development of drugs that can stop superbugs.

“The really exciting thing about this research is that new drugs will specifically target the protective barrier around the bacteria, rather than the bacteria itself,” said Dong in a news release. “Because new drugs will not need to enter the bacteria itself, we hope that the bacteria will not be able to develop drug resistance in future.” 

The results of this study were published in the journal Nature.

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