Plant toxin hailed as ‘new weapon’ in antibiotic war against bacteria

Scientists say albicidin has allowed them to take a giant step forward to creating a powerful new range of antibacterial drugsScientists have discovered a plant toxin whose unique method of dispatching bacteria could be used to create a powerful new range of antibiotics. The prospect of developing new antibacterial drugs this way has been hailed by doctors, who have been warning for many years that the steady rise of multidrug-resistant pathogens such asE coli now present a dangerous threat to healthcare across the planet.The new antibiotic – albicidin – attacks bacteria in a completely different way to existing drugs, a group of British, German and Polish scientists have revealed in apaper recently published in the journalNature Catalysis. This suggests a new route could be exploited to tackle bacterial disease, they say.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Antibiotics Medical research Science Society E coli UK news Microbiology Source Type: news