A new synthetic molecule could be the torch that shines a new light of hope in humanity’s battle against drug-resistant bacteria. The CDC estimates that at least 30% of antibiotic prescriptions are unnecessary. This misuse of antibiotics has caused a surge of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Essentially these are the same bacteria we’ve known all our lives, but they’ve developed and mutated to become immune to classic antibiotics. Some of them are even resistant to penicillin.
Taking an antibiotic when you don’t really have an infection may cause more harm than good. Antibiotics have a negative effect on the abilities of white blood cells and gut bacteria responsible for healthy digestion and inhibiting the growth of bad bacteria in the body.
Most antibiotic-resistant bacteria can be classified as gram-negative bacteria. It is a class of bacteria that have thicker cell walls and a built-in mechanism called an efflux pump that gives them the ability to export toxins out of the cells. The harder, thicker cell walls make these bacteria more resistant and challenging to penetrate, while the efflux pump makes them exceptionally challenging to tackle, as they become more toxic under attack. This pump may prevent antibiotics from getting inside the cell.
Some varieties of gram-negative bacteria you may know are cholera, E. coli, and Salmonella typhi, which causes typhoid fever. Today these are treated with antibiotics, sometimes more than one. Older antibiotics may be more effective at times.
A new player just hit the field. It is a molecule called fabimycin. This molecule inhibits the bacterial enzyme called FabI, which is vital for the bacteria‘s fatty acid biosynthesis. In other words, this new molecule has the potential to starve drug-resistant bacteria. Trials showed that, in addition to that, fabimycin is also relatively harmless to some types of healthy bacteria found in the gut.
Fabimycin was developed in a lab. The synthetic drug was created by altering and improving existing antibiotics effective against less aggressive infections. Then, they started testing it on drug-resistant bacteria.
The researchers found fabimycin to be effective on more than 300 types of drug-resistant bacteria. It cured mice with pneumonia and urinary tract infections. The medication is yet to undergo human testing and looks promising.
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