25-year-old student found a way to kill the bacteria without antibiotics - SCIENCE happy!

"There is a danger that the ignorant man exposing his microbes non-lethal amounts of medication (antibiotics), make them resistant," said Alexander Fleming, the man who discovered penicillin and won the Nobel Prize in 1945Small, star-protein molecules, so-called. peptide polymers, could become a new, highly effective weapon in the fight against superbugs that are becoming increasingly resistant to all known antibiotics, according to a recently published Australian study presented in the journal Nature Microbiology.

But let us remember, however the essence of the problem - bacteria rapidly evolve and acquire resistance to antibiotics, even they exchanged among themselves, but in recent decades it was discovered only a few new drugs. Golden Years antibiotics were 1950s and 1960s, and the last effective group were discovered in the late 1980s.

The rapid development of resistance

Antibiotics are now only known and proven effective weapon to combat bacteria. However, micro-organisms rapidly mutate, becoming resistant to them and, what is worse, with ease among themselves exchanging genes responsible for resistance.This exchange takes place even among bacteria that differ as much as the man and the chicken. Unlike the so-called. vertical gene transfer, in which children inherit a mix of genetic information of their parents, this process is called horizontal gene transfer.

It bacteria exchange information contained in the so-called. plasmids, small DNA molecules that are in their cells physically separate from the chromosomal DNA.They are usually found in bacteria in the form of a small circular molecule of double string DNA, and include the genetic information of a certain extra capabilities such as a resistance.Bacteria that are resistant to single antibiotic, exchange of plasmids with other bacteria resistant to other antibiotics, can become superbugs, more resistant to the most powerful drugs.

Numerous Croatian and international experts have been warning for years that the number of bacteria resistant to all known antibiotics is increasing. One every year in the world related to the millions of lives. If the same trend continues, it is estimated that by 2050 a year of superbugs died about ten million people.

What is special about the new discovery?

A team at the University of Melbourne have already been explored effects of peptide polymers. A major breakthrough occurred recently have created when star-polypeptide proved extremely efficient in the destruction of Gram-negative bacteria are particularly effective in the development of resistance.The most interesting in this story is the fact that the study found that new weapon operates on multiple metabolic pathways of bacteria, but at the same time is not toxic to the body. Most antibiotics work only one time, and the most powerful among them are often too toxic for people to be able to use.

Tests conducted by a team of Melbourena showed that the star polymer dosage should be increased by a factor of 100 or even more to become toxic. His effectiveness in destroying superbugs has been confirmed in tests on animals - models.Superbugs have not yet been shown to not develop resistance to the new drug. This is to be expected since the simultaneous action through multiple pathways significantly complicates things for bacteria. One of the means of action of the new polypeptides of the cell membrane. Namely, to show footage that has made the Australian team, molecules tear apart cell membranes of bacteria.

"It really makes it difficult for bacteria to survive and to adapt after being treated with this peptide Polymer 'she told ABC Shu Lam, co-author of the study.Lam noted that their team so far in his research focused on one main class of bacteria which means that they will need to carry out further research to see what kind of react to the molecule."This is still at the level of primary or basic research. In the next step we have to detail to determine how these polymers function, "she explained.

While the need to conduct additional studies, among other things, on people, before a new drug enters the commercial application, study leader Professor. Greg Qiao and his colleagues believe their discovery is an important step in the new techniques to combat superbugs.

• 26 Feb, 2017
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