New weapon found in the war against superbugs

Conclusion Antibiotic resistance is already causing thousands of deaths annually and is now considered a major threat, ranking alongside terrorism and climate change. Gram-positive bacteria such as E. coli, salmonella and Klebsiella are particularly resistant to antibiotics. This study shines a useful light on how such bacteria build a protective outer coating against attack. It is still early days, but the findings could pave the way for the development of new drugs that attack this process. As Mark Fielder, professor of medical microbiology at Kingston University, said: "The work reported is at a very early stage, but does offer some potentially useful information in the fight against bacterial resistance. "What is needed now is the development of a usable inhibitor that can be tested against Gram-negative clinical strains of bacteria to see if there is a longer term value to the research published today." Analysis by Bazian. Edited by NHS Choices. Follow Behind the Headlines on Twitter. Join the Healthy Evidence forum. Links To The Headlines British university makes antibiotic resistance breakthrough. The Independent, June 18 2014 Breakthrough in the war on superbugs: British scientists decode defence mechanism of bacteria in discovery that could pave way for new drugs. Mail Online, June 19 2014 Scientists devise way to stop fatal superbugs taking over in 20 years. The Times, June 19 2014 Scientists say weakness in 'superbug' bacteria could herald new tr...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medical practice Medication Source Type: news