Breakthrough in antibiotics

rhombus · **on:** January 07, 2015, 11:10:16 PM

According to a new article in the journal Nature, American researchers have managed to use a new bacterial growth method in order to yield 25 new antibiotics. One of the new antibiotics, teixobactin seems to be very promising in that it inhibits cell wall synthesis by binding to precursors of peptidoglycan and teichoic acid. If these findings are confirmed then this is a momentous discovery, as no newly discovered antibiotics have reached medical use since 1987, and infections involving antibiotic-resistant bacteria have been increasing.

More information on the new antibiotic can be found in the article itself:

Link to article

jansenov · **Reply #1 on:** January 08, 2015, 08:54:31 AM

And it works against Staphylococcus aureus nonetheless!

What I find even more interesting is that this could be the first step in development of antibiotics that avoid the development of resistance. Are we really close to revealing bacterial chemistry's remaining mysteries?

Serris · **Reply #2 on:** January 08, 2015, 01:31:01 PM

Interesting. Since it attacks a highly conserved component required for peptidoglycan synthesis, I am in agreement that developing resistance is unlikely. At least compared to the other antibiotics that inhibited enzymes required for cell wall synthesis.

However, I do wonder if a mutation in a transmembrane protein pump will confer resistance by actively pumping the chemical out of the bacterium.