Author: Laurel Hamers / Source: Science News
Drug-resistant bacteria have a new challenger.
A new molecule can kill deadly strains of common bacteria, such as Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonia, that are resistant to most existing antibiotics. The drug works differently from currently available antibiotics, potentially making it harder for bacteria to develop resistance, researchers report September 12 in Nature.
Most antibiotics kill bacteria by weakening their cell wall or by preventing the production of certain proteins. But bacteria have, over time, evolved ways to circumvent these drugs. And as antibiotics are used frequently in both hospitals and agriculture, resistant bacterial strains are becoming more common. Infections with multidrug-resistant microbes are particularly worrisome, because they can turn usually easy-to-treat illnesses like strep throat or urinary tract infections into deadly ordeals.
The newly developed drug uses a different tactic. It inhibits…
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