Super antibiotic found to kill drug-resistant bacteria

An antibiotic that kills bacteria by breaking them apart with superpowers, a method never before seen, could be the basis for a new generation of drugs that can tackle the alarming problem of drug resistance.

MRSA bacteria under microscope.

In the evolutionary race between deadly bacteria and antibiotics, bacteria have been winning in recent years. This is evident from the increasing reports of bacteria resistant to “last resort” antibiotics. Last year, the fear of antibiotic resistance was raised by many countries warning of dire consequences if the problem was not addressed worldwide.

The rise in antibiotic resistance is partly due to the use of antibiotics for illnesses like the common cold, which are caused by viruses, not bacteria, and which antibiotics have no effect on. Antibiotics are also used in agriculture to promote the growth of livestock.

The race to find “next generation” antibiotics to defeat the most powerful drug-resistant superbugs has finally reached its finish line.

Conventional antibiotics must bind to the cells of bacteria to kill them, like a key in a lock. And with resistant bacteria – which can change the lock – the existing key becomes useless.

But researchers have discovered a drug so powerful it can “lift the door off its hinges.”

“Surprisingly, we discovered that some antibiotics are so powerful that they don't even need a key in the lock, because they can literally blow the door off its hinges – killing the bacteria instantly.

Antibiotics that can tear apart bacteria

The study tested a powerful antibiotic called vancomycin, used as a last-resort treatment for infections like MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), and a third-generation antibiotic called oritavancin, used to treat skin infections.

“We found that oritavancin suppresses resistant bacteria with 11,000 times more power than vancomycin, a third-generation antibiotic in the same class,” said Dr. Ndieyira.

“Although it has the same “key” as vancomycin, oritavancin is highly effective in killing drug-resistant bacteria.

“Until now, we still don't know how oritavancin kills bacteria, but research shows that the force it creates is so strong that it tears the membranes that surround bacteria and tears them apart.”

This is a way to kill bacteria that has never been known before.

“The oritavancin molecules are very good at sticking together, forming clusters, which fundamentally changes the way they kill bacteria,” Dr. Ndieyira continued.

“When the two clusters of molecules attach to the surface of bacteria, they tear apart the membrane surrounding the bacteria and kill them.

“Remarkably, we also found that conditions at the bacterial surface favor these molecular clusters, making antibiotics even more effective at killing bacteria.”

Can take advantage of existing antibiotics?

Researchers are now developing a mathematical formula that can be used to screen for new antibiotics with the same powerful “inner strength.”

“This discovery will not only help us create new, effective antibiotics, but also improve existing antibiotics so that they can overcome bacterial resistance,” said Dr. Ndieyira.

“Oritavancin is just another version of vancomycin, and we now know how to upgrade other antibiotics.

“This will help us create a new generation of antibiotics to tackle multidrug-resistant infections, which are considered the biggest global threat to modern healthcare.”

The discovery was published in the journal Scientific Reports.

According to Dantri