For the first time in nearly three decades, scientists have uncovered a new class of antibiotics—a potential game changer in the war against infections that do not respond to standard drugs. Over decades of exposure, many bacteria have evolved to become resistant to existing antibiotics; these “superbugs” now cause 2 million illnesses and 23,000 deaths every year. Up to now, researchers have had little success developing new antibiotics. Nearly all antibiotics are derived from naturally occurring bacteria that produce their own antibiotics to kill off rivals. These bacteria are generally found in soil, but the problem has been that they won’t grow in laboratory conditions. So researchers at Northeastern University developed a device that may finally allow them to access millions of “uncultured” bacteria as a source of potential antibiotics. The device is filled with tiny chambers that allow bacteria to be isolated while still growing in their native soil, enabling scientists to trick them into being “domesticated.” Of the 25 antibiotics they discovered, one, called teixobactin, proved to be highly effective in treating certain types of pneumonia, tuberculosis, and the staph infection MRSA in laboratory mice. Because of the way the new antibiotic works—by breaking down microbes’ outer cell walls—researchers believe it could be decades before any resistant strains emerge. “Here is an antibiotic that’s essentially evolved to be free of resistance,” lead author Kim Lewis tells BBC.com. He said the discovery—which may take five years to bring to market—will provide “a promising source of new antimicrobials and help revive the field of antibiotic discovery.”
I find it fascinating everything that is being discovered about bacteria and our health.
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