Entirely New Antibiotic Developed
Posted on May 18, 2006 Comments (4)
Potent antibiotic to target MRSA
A potent antibiotic which kills many bacteria, including MRSA, has been discovered. Scientists with Merck, isolated platensimycin from a sample of South African soil and have developed an antibiotic based on that discovery.
Details in the journal Nature reveal the antibiotic works in a completely different way to all others.
It acts to block enzymes involved in the synthesis of fatty acids, which bacteria need to construct cell membranes.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) is a type of bacteria that is resistant to certain antibiotics, including: methicillin and other more common antibiotics such as oxacillin, penicillin and amoxicillin. Staph infections, including MRSA, occur most frequently among persons in hospitals and healthcare facilities who have weakened immune systems. More information on MRSA is available from the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Related:
- Soil Could Shed Light on Antibiotic Resistance
- Antibiotic Discovery Stagnates
- Articles on the overuse of anti-biotics
- New antibiotic sets sight on ‘superbug’
Categories: Antibiotics, Health Care, Life Science, Research, Science, Students
4 Responses to “Entirely New Antibiotic Developed”
Leave a Reply
RSS Feed
October 31st, 2006 @ 4:03 am
What is more extraordinary is the drug’s method of action. Platensimycin is a molecule produced by Streptomyces platensis, a fungus-like bacterium.
November 16th, 2007 @ 7:21 pm
“But when the bacteria detect enough of this chemical, they stop making biofilms and releasing toxins, perceiving that it is time to leave the body instead…”
June 15th, 2008 @ 8:18 am
alligators can automatically fight germs such as bacteria and viruses without having been exposed to them before launching a defense…
March 10th, 2009 @ 3:52 pm
[…] Entirely New Antibiotic Developed – Soil Could Shed Light on Antibiotic Resistance – How Antibiotics Kill Bacteria by curiouscat […]