Superbugs will struggle to evolve resistance to unusual new antibiotic
4 June 2023
A much-needed new kind of antibiotic can kill bacteria such as MRSA and works in a way that makes it extremely difficult for resistance to evolve
-
Subject
-
Section
-
Type
-
Topics
-
Author
-
Issue
-
Premium
New antibiotic may clear Clostridium difficile and stop reinfection
8 May 2023
Clostridium difficile kills 13,000 people each year in the US alone. A new antibiotic tested in mice works better than our first-line treatments against infection – and prevents reinfection too
MRSA could be prevented with genetically engineered antibodies
3 May 2023
Genetic mutations to an antibody prevented MRSA infections in mice, and boosted the effectiveness of antibiotics for fighting the infection
Curbing fatty acid production in bacteria lowers antibiotic resistance
1 May 2023
Bacteria are more susceptible to antibiotics when they can't produce fatty acids, suggesting that drugs inhibiting this process could help us overcome antibiotic resistance
Covid-19 pandemic tied to antibiotic resistance in pneumonia bacterium
16 February 2023
A modelling study suggests that the proportion of cases involving pneumonia-causing bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics has increased amid the covid-19 pandemic
Antibiotics encoded in Neanderthal DNA could help us fight infections
1 December 2022
A search of the ancient DNA of Neanderthals and Denisovans has revealed coding for extinct bacteria-killing proteins that we could revive to fight infections
Antimicrobial drug derived from tree sap could treat chronic wounds
14 September 2022
A compound derived from the sap of the blushwood tree was found to improve wound healing in mice and dairy calves
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria can be killed by pom-pom molecules
27 June 2022
Pom-pom-shaped molecules rip apart MRSA and other drug-resistant bacteria in minutes, are cheap and easy to make, and don’t seem to lead to bacterial resistance
Ants treat infected wounds of nestmates with medicine from their back
12 May 2022
Matabele ants (Megaponera analis) in sub-Saharan Africa apply an antimicrobial substance to nestmates whose limbs are lost while raiding termite nests
Genetic test for mutation that leads to antibiotic-induced deafness
31 March 2022
A genetic test gives results in half an hour to show if a person may become deaf in response to certain antibiotics, so can be used for babies with suspected sepsis who need treatment fast
