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Re: British University Makes Antibiotic Resistence Breakthrough
This sentence didn't make sense to me: "They also said that, because the drugs would not need to enter the bacteria itself, the bacteria may not be able to develop resistance, halting the evolution of superbugs."
I think the reporter might not have not understood what the scientists were saying. I don't see why it's germane whether or not an antibiotic drug act by entering bacteria in order that the bacterial population eventually evolve resistance. As long as the drug exerts a selective pressure by, you know, killing bacteria, the possibility of evolving resistance seems to be there.
Later in the article is a statement that makes more sense: " 'I think because [the new drugs would be] attacking such a vast area of the organism, the potential for mutation might be slowed, but I don’t think we could ever say it won’t evolve,' [Professor Fielder] said." Here the point seems to be that if the antibiotic wrecks a major piece of biochemistry, resistance may require a really significant adaptation (or set of adaptations) which will take a long time to arise by chance.
I guess this "new" avenue of attack targets cell membrane formation. Penicillin works by mucking up formation of bacterial cell walls, which sounds similar to me (although, obviously, different in detail). I think this is good news. -
Re: British University Makes Antibiotic Resistence Breakthrough
Considering Cipro is no longer the wonder weapon it once was, and there's nothing in depth ready to come to market behind it, I agree.Originally posted by ASH View Post
It would suck to see all the surgical advanced made in recent decades negated by sharp increases in deaths due to infection.Comment
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Re: British University Makes Antibiotic Resistence Breakthrough
I think the strategy is dealing with biofilms. Bacteria have cell walls, not cell membranes, but biofilms have something akin to a membrane. From Wikipedia:
If so, the quote about the approach "not entering the bacteria themselves" makes a lot of sense - it attacks the biofilm, and not the bacteria. Once the film is disrupted, antibiotics (and even the body's own defenses) become much more effective.The biofilm is held together and protected by a matrix of secreted polymeric compounds called EPS. EPS is an abbreviation for either extracellular polymeric substance or exopolysaccharide, although the latter one only refers to the polysaccharide moiety of EPS. In fact, the EPS matrix consists not only of polysaccharides but also of proteins (which may be the major component in environmental and waste water biofilms) and nucleic acids. A large proportion of the EPS is more or less strongly hydrated, however, hydrophobic EPS also occur; one example is cellulose which is produced by a range of microorganisms. This matrix encases the cells within it and facilitates communication among them through biochemical signals as well as gene exchange. The EPS matrix is an important key to the evolutionary success of biofilms. One reason is that it traps extracellular enzymes and keeps them in close proximity to the cells. Thus, the matrix represents an external digestion system and allows for stable synergistic microconsortia of different species (Wingender and Flemming, Nat. Rev. Microbiol. 8, 623-633).Some biofilms have been found to contain water channels that help distribute nutrients and signalling molecules.[21] This matrix is strong enough that under certain conditions, biofilms can become fossilized (Stromatolites).
Bacteria living in a biofilm usually have significantly different properties from free-floating bacteria of the same species, as the dense and protected environment of the film allows them to cooperate and interact in various ways. One benefit of this environment is increased resistance to detergents and antibiotics, as the dense extracellular matrix and the outer layer of cells protect the interior of the community. In some cases antibiotic resistance can be increased a thousandfold.[22] Lateral gene transfer is greatly facilitated in biofilms and leads to a more stable biofilm structure.[23] Extracellular DNA is a major structural component of many different microbial biofilms.[24] Enzymatic degradation of extracellular DNA can weaken the biofilm structure and release microbial cells from the surface.
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Re: British University Makes Antibiotic Resistence Breakthrough
Minor correction: bacteria have both cell walls and phospholipid bilayer membranes - it is mostly a matter of nomenclature to refer to a bacteria's cell membrane as a "plasma membrane" (though there are minor compositional differences between the two types. The plasma membrane still serves the same function of regulating the permeability of the cell, while the wall serves as a chemically permeable structural support.Originally posted by RebbePete View PostComment
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