Novel antibiotic may help eradicate MRSA infection
Scientists have developed a new type of antibiotic that may be effective in treating hospital-based infections.
The drugs are synthetic forms of cephalosporin that appear to kill bacteria
by mimicking chemical components of the cell wall and leading to a sequence
of events that deactivates the enzyme penicillin-binding protein 2a,
which usually protects the bacteria.
The researchers, from Notre Dame University, Notre Dame, Indiana, US,
say that in preliminary laboratory tests the new drugs have been shown
to be effective against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus that
is also resistant to vancomycin. They say that at least one of the compounds
has entered Phase I clinical trials.
Shahriar Mobashery, leader of the study, said: “We are the first
to demonstrate this unique strategy, which could provide a new line of
defence against the growing problem of antibiotic resistance.”
The data were presented at the 230th national meeting of the American
Chemical Society last week. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
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