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New approach could lower antibiotic requirements by 50 times
January 29, 2007Antibiotic doses could be reduced by up to 50 times using a new approach based on bacteriophages.
Steven Hagens, previously at the University of Vienna, told Chemistry & Industry, the magazine of the SCI, that certain bacteriophages, a type of virus that infects bacteria, can boost the effectiveness of antibiotics gentamicin, gramacidin or tetracycline.
It is the phages' ability to channel through bacterial cell membranes that boosts antibiotic effectiveness. 'Pseudomonas bacteria for example are particularly multi-resistant to antibiotics because they have efflux pump mechanisms that enable them to throw out antibiotics. A pore in the cell wall would obviously cancel the efflux effect,' Hagens explains.
Pseudomonas bacteria cause pneumonia and are a common cause of hospital-acquired infections.
Experiments in mice revealed that 75% of those infected with a lethal dose of Pseudomonas survived if the antibiotic gentamicin was administered in the presence of bacteriophages. None survived without the phages (Microb. Drug Resist., 2006, 12 (3), 164).
The bacteriophage approach would also be particularly useful for treating cases of food poisoning, because the lower doses of antibiotic needed would not disrupt the friendly bacteria in the gut-a big problem with conventional antibiotic treatments.
'The prospect of using such treatments to prolong the life of existing agents and delay the onset of widespread resistance is to be welcomed,' said Jim Spencer a lecturer in microbial pathogenesis at the University of Bristol.
The overuse of antibiotics since the 1940s had slowly created a host of infections that are resistant to antibiotics. MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) for example is rapidly spreading through hospitals, affecting more than 8,000 people in the UK every year. MRSA infection can lead to septic shock and death.
Society of American Foresters
Pseudomonas bacteria cause pneumonia and are a common cause of hospital-acquired infections.
Experiments in mice revealed that 75% of those infected with a lethal dose of Pseudomonas survived if the antibiotic gentamicin was administered in the presence of bacteriophages. None survived without the phages (Microb. Drug Resist., 2006, 12 (3), 164).
The bacteriophage approach would also be particularly useful for treating cases of food poisoning, because the lower doses of antibiotic needed would not disrupt the friendly bacteria in the gut-a big problem with conventional antibiotic treatments.
'The prospect of using such treatments to prolong the life of existing agents and delay the onset of widespread resistance is to be welcomed,' said Jim Spencer a lecturer in microbial pathogenesis at the University of Bristol.
The overuse of antibiotics since the 1940s had slowly created a host of infections that are resistant to antibiotics. MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) for example is rapidly spreading through hospitals, affecting more than 8,000 people in the UK every year. MRSA infection can lead to septic shock and death.
Society of American Foresters
Antibiotic Current Events and Antibiotic News RSSA Second Skin
Despite advances in treatment regimens and the best efforts of nurses and doctors, about 70% of all people with severe burns die from related infections.
Study reveals why certain drug combinations backfire
Combination drug therapy has become a staple for treating many infections. For instance, doctors treat extensively drug resistant forms of tuberculosis with one drug that breaks down the pathogen's protective barriers and opens the door for another to deliver the deathblow.
Exposure to several common infections over time may be associated with risk of stroke
Cumulative exposure to five common infection-causing pathogens may be associated with an increased risk of stroke, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the January 2010 print issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
New imagining technique could lead to better antibiotics and cancer drugs
A recently devised method of imaging the chemical communication and warfare between microorganisms could lead to new antibiotics, antifungal, antiviral and anti-cancer drugs, said a Texas AgriLife Research scientist.
U.S. and European Experts Applaud Creation of New Transatlantic Task Force on Global Antibiotic Resistance Threat
Experts on both sides of the Atlantic applaud President Barack Obama and Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, representing the European Union (EU) Presidency, for establishing a transatlantic task force to address antibiotic resistance, an urgent and growing problem that threatens patient safety and public health worldwide.
Does prostate-specific antigen velocity help in early detection prostate cancer?
The November issue of European Urology, the official journal of the European Association of Urology, features an article focussing on prostate specific antigen (PSA) velocity and early cancer detection. It has been suggested that changes in PSA over time aid prostate cancer detection.
Researchers identify drug candidate for treating spinal muscular atrophy
A chemical cousin of the common antibiotic tetracycline might be useful in treating spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a currently incurable disease that is the leading genetic cause of death in infants.
Teen girls diagnosed with STI more likely to seek treatment for partners after watching video
A study at Johns Hopkins Children's Center found that girls diagnosed with pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) who watched a short educational video were three times more likely to discuss their condition with their partners and to ensure partner treatment than girls diagnosed and treated without seeing the film.
UCLA researchers reconstitute enzyme that synthesizes cholesterol drug lovastatin
Researchers from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have for the first time successfully reconstituted in the laboratory the enzyme responsible for producing the blockbuster cholesterol-lowering drug lovastatin.
Progress made on group B streptococcus vaccine
Scientists supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, have completed a Phase II clinical study that indicates a vaccine to prevent Group B Streptococcus (GBS) infection is possible.
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