Antibiotic-Resistant Superbugs Can Be Killed By A New Compound Now

The team, led by Professor Jim Thomas, the Department of Chemistry at the University of Sheffield, is testing new compounds for his PhD student.

Bacterial, gram-negative strains can cause infections that include pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and bloodstream infections. They are difficult to treat and there are no medications to prevent them.

In the EU each year, antimicrobial resistance is already responsible for 25,000 deaths and it is estimated that by 2050 more than 10 million people will be each year unless this is an emerging threat.

Doctors have not received a new treatment for gram-negative bacteria in the last 50 years and have not entered clinical trials since 2010.

The new drug compound has an array of exciting possibilities. As Professor Jim Thomas explains: "As the compound is luminescent, it shines when exposed to light, which means that bacteria can be safer than the microscopic techniques available in RAL.

"This breakthrough could lead to new treatments for the superb bacteria that threaten life and the increased risk that antimicrobial resistance represents."

The studies in Sheffield and RAL have shown that the compound seems to have several modes of action, which makes the emergence of resistance in the bacteria difficult. The next step of the investigation will probably be against other multiresistant bacteria.

In a recent report on pathogens in antimicrobials, the World Health Organization implemented several gram-negative bacteria at the top of its list, stating that new treatments for these bacteria were 'Priority 1 Critical' because they cause responses with high rates of mortality. It quickly becomes resistant to all current treatments, often collected in hospitals.

The research, published in the journal ACS Nano, describes the new compound that kills Gram-negative E. coli, including a multidrug-resistant pathogen, which is said to be responsible for millions of antibiotics worldwide correctly.

Super insects are already a major global threat, but health experts predict that the risks will worsen in the coming decades.

Resistant to the most commonly used antibiotics, these bacteria are powerful and are projected to kill more people around the world than cancer by the year 2050. Therefore, researchers are competing to find a cure before this projection is make reality.

Now, a team from the University of Sheffield and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory may have found a solution by discovering a new compound that can kill antibiotic-resistant superbugs.

By: Preeti Narula

Content: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/05/190528095213.htm