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Researchers discover new strategies for antibiotic resistance
August 30, 2007With infections increasingly resistant to even the most modern antibiotics, researchers at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed) report in the September issue of Nature Reviews Microbiology on new clues they have uncovered in immune system molecules that defend against infection.
Drs. Michael R. Yeaman and Nannette Y. Yount present evidence that small proteins in the immune systems of humans and all kingdoms of life share fundamental structural and functional characteristics that enable these molecules to inhibit or kill microbial pathogens - even as these pathogens evolve to resist conventional antibiotics.
"These findings reveal that nature uses a recurring molecular strategy to defend against infection," said Dr. Yeaman. "A clearer understanding of this strategy provides new opportunities to develop innovative anti-infective therapies to better prevent or treat life-threatening infections that resist current antibiotics."
Most modern antibiotics work by targeting specific structures or functions in microbial pathogens. If the targets change due to mutation, pathogens can quickly become resistant to the antibiotics. In contrast, immune system molecules have retained the ability to fight infection - even as microbes evolve.
"While human ingenuity has thus far created antibiotics that pathogens seem to resist after just a few years, nature has created molecules in our immune systems that retain the ability to defend against infection even after millions of years of evolution," said Dr. Yeaman. "We have a lot to learn from nature."
The September article sheds new light on the molecular basis for the antimicrobial capabilities of these molecules. Drs. Yeaman and Yount report that a structure they discovered in these molecules in 2004 - known as the y core - allows for "hypermutability," or unusually high rates of mutation or modification at specific sites within these molecules.
To do so, the y core structure often contains a "b bulge" motif - a region that affords structural variations otherwise prohibited in protein biochemistry.
"The ability of host defense molecules to change so quickly and with such diversity may be nature's way of keeping pace with rapidly evolving infectious microbes and other threats," said Dr. Yount.
These insights may drive new strategies for anti-infective discovery and development. Drs. Yeaman and Yount also said their discoveries significantly advance understanding of immune system evolution. Microbial pathogens are constantly moving targets; in turn - immune systems must adapt or lose effectiveness. Understanding how these molecules have continued to ward off infection could also accelerate development of immunotherapeutics to boost the body's own defenses against infection or other diseases, and reduce the resistance issues that plague today's antibiotics.
Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed)
Most modern antibiotics work by targeting specific structures or functions in microbial pathogens. If the targets change due to mutation, pathogens can quickly become resistant to the antibiotics. In contrast, immune system molecules have retained the ability to fight infection - even as microbes evolve.
"While human ingenuity has thus far created antibiotics that pathogens seem to resist after just a few years, nature has created molecules in our immune systems that retain the ability to defend against infection even after millions of years of evolution," said Dr. Yeaman. "We have a lot to learn from nature."
The September article sheds new light on the molecular basis for the antimicrobial capabilities of these molecules. Drs. Yeaman and Yount report that a structure they discovered in these molecules in 2004 - known as the y core - allows for "hypermutability," or unusually high rates of mutation or modification at specific sites within these molecules.
To do so, the y core structure often contains a "b bulge" motif - a region that affords structural variations otherwise prohibited in protein biochemistry.
"The ability of host defense molecules to change so quickly and with such diversity may be nature's way of keeping pace with rapidly evolving infectious microbes and other threats," said Dr. Yount.
These insights may drive new strategies for anti-infective discovery and development. Drs. Yeaman and Yount also said their discoveries significantly advance understanding of immune system evolution. Microbial pathogens are constantly moving targets; in turn - immune systems must adapt or lose effectiveness. Understanding how these molecules have continued to ward off infection could also accelerate development of immunotherapeutics to boost the body's own defenses against infection or other diseases, and reduce the resistance issues that plague today's antibiotics.
Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed)
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A Second Skin
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Study reveals why certain drug combinations backfire
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New imagining technique could lead to better antibiotics and cancer drugs
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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.
Henry Ford Hospital study: A MRSA strain linked to high death rates
A strain of MRSA that causes bloodstream infections is five times more lethal than other strains and has shown to have some resistance to the potent antibiotic drug vancomycin used to treat MRSA, according to a Henry Ford Hospital study.
Bacteria 'launch a shield' to resist attack
Researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the Technical University of Denmark along with other collaborators in Denmark and the US found that the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa can 'switch on' production of molecules that kill white blood cells - preventing the bacteria being eliminated by the body's immune system.
Pumpkin skin may scare away germs
The skin of that pumpkin you carve into a Jack-o'-Lantern to scare away ghosts and goblins on Halloween contains a substance that could put a scare into microbes that cause millions of cases of yeast infections in adults and infants each year.
Deadly stomach infection rising in community settings, Mayo Clinic study finds
Mayo Clinic researchers have found that a sometimes deadly stomach bug, Clostridium difficile is on the rise in outpatient settings.
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Antibiotics Simplified by Jason Gallagher (Author) Antibiotics Simplified is a succinct guide designed to bridge knowledge gained in basic sciences courses with clinical practice in infectious diseases. Introductory chapters explain the rationale behind the treatment of infectious diseases, describe a system for selecting antimicrobial agents and briefly review basic microbiology. Later chapters present relevant characteristics of drug classes, emphasizing clinical "pearls" for individual agents, and also include content on antifungals. The concise nature of the text allows for emphasis on key points, allowing readers to extract the most important characteristics of anti-infective drugs from the larger mass of material that they learn from detailed pharmacology textbooks. This is an ideal handbook for students as well as practicing... |
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First Aid Only Triple Antibiotic Ointment Pack, 0.5 Gram, 25-Count Boxes (Pack of 3) by First Aid Only Use this triple antibiotic ointment pack to treat all kinds of minor cuts, burns and abrasions. Helps prevent infection while it promotes healing. May be applied 2 to 3 times daily as the condition indicates. Active ingredients: neomycin and polymyxin B sulfates and bacitracin zinc ointment USP. |
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Fish Mox (Amoxicillin 250 mg) - 100 Caps by THOMAS LABS Fish-Mox exerts a bactericidal action on gram positive and some gram negative bacteria. Useful for control of some common bacterial diseases of fish including aeromonas and pseudomonas genera and mysobacterial group (gill diseases, chondrococcus). Add contents of one capsule (250 mg) into aquarium for each 10 gallons of water to be treated. Repeat in 24 hours. It is suggested that a partial water change be made between treatments. While duration of treatment depends on type and severity of infection, it is recommended that extended medication baths continue for a minimum of 5 days & for not more than 10 days. Discontinue treatment if no improvement is noted within 5 days. To remove harmless yellow color, change 20% of water and use charcoal filter until clear. |
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Antibiotic Essentials 2009 by Burke Cunha MD (Author) Antibiotic Essentials is a concise, practical, and authoritative guide to the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases commonly encountered in adults. It covers 542 clinical infectious disease syndromes, HIV infection, 134 detailed drug summaries, pediatric infectious diseases, and a chest x-ray atlas. Topics include: Empiric Therapy Based on Clinical Syndrome; Initial Therapy Based on Isolates; Pending Susceptibility Testing; HIV Infection; Fungi, Parasites, Unusual Organisms; Antibiotic Prophylaxis and Immunizations; Drug Summaries |
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Antibiotic Basics for Clinicians: Choosing the Right Antibacterial Agent (Point (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins)) by Alan R Hauser (Author) Designed for quick, easy comprehension, this handbook reference will assist medical students in understanding the rationale behind antibiotic selection for common bacterial pathogens and infectious disease presentations. By supplying the rationale for choosing antibiotics, the book reduces the amount of memorization necessary for proper antibiotic prescribing. The book is heavily illustrated with two-color figures and includes fact-anecdotes, interesting ancillary information, mnemonics, and questions to test understanding. Appendices include dosing in adults and children; antibacterial agents in pregnancy; generic and trade names of commonly used antibacterial agents; and treatment of infections caused by bacterial agents of bioterrorism. |
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Fish Flex Cephalexin - 250 mg 100 capsules by THOMAS LABS Fish-Flex is for use in aquariums for treatment of bacterial activity. Add contents of one capsule (250 mg) into aquarium for each 10 gallons of water to be treated. Repeat in 24 hours. It is suggested that a partial water change be made between treatments. While duration of treatment depends on type and severity of infection, it is recommended that extended medication baths continue for a minimum of 5 days & for not more than 10 days. Discontinue treatment if no improvement is noted within 5 days. |
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Triple Antibiotic Ointment, 144/box by Swift First-Aid Each 0.5 gram packet contains a 3-in-1 antibiotic: bacitracin, neomycin, and polymixin B. |
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First Aid Only Triple Antibiotic Ointment Pack, 0.5 Gram, 10-Count Boxes (Pack of 10) by First Aid Only Use this triple antibiotic ointment pack to treat all kinds of minor cuts, burns and abrasions. Helps prevent infection while it promotes healing. May be applied 2 to 3 times daily as the condition indicates. Active ingredients: neomycin and polymyxin B sulfates and bacitracin zinc ointment USP. |
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