A new compound that kills superbugs resistant to antibiotics is discovered

A new compound that visualizes and kills antibiotic-resistant superbugs has been discovered by scientists at the University of Sheffield and Rutherford Appleton (RAL) laboratories. The team, led by Professor Jim Thomas of Sheffield University's Department of Chemistry, tests new compounds developed by his PhD student Kirsty Smitten on Gram-negative bacteria resistant to antibiotics, including pathogenic E. coli .

Strains of gram-negative bacteria can cause infections, including pneumonia, urinary tract infections and blood infections. They are difficult to treat because the cell wall of the bacteria prevents drugs from entering the microbe.

Antimicrobial resistance is already causing 25,000 deaths in the EU each year and, unless this emerging threat is addressed, it is estimated that in 2050, more than 10 million People could die each year from antibiotic-resistant infections. Doctors have not had new treatment for Gram-negative bacteria over the past 50 years and no potential drug has been launched in clinical trials since 2010.

The new pharmaceutical compound offers a range of interesting opportunities. As Thomas explains, "the compound being luminescent, it shines when it is exposed to light. This means that the absorption and the effect on the bacteria can be monitored by the techniques advanced microscopy available in RAL, and the increasing risk posed by antimicrobial resistance ".

Studies at Sheffield and RAL have shown that the compound appears to have several modes of action, which makes it more difficult for resistance to emerge in the bacteria. The next step in the research will be to test it against other multidrug-resistant bacteria.

In a recent report on antimicrobial resistant pathogens, the World Health Organization has listed several Gram-negative bacteria at the top of its list, stating that new treatments for these bacteria are "top priority 1" because they cause Infections with high mortality rates become resistant to all current treatments and are often picked up in hospitals.

The research, published in the journal ACS Nano, describes the new compound that kills Gram-negative E. coli, including a multidrug-resistant pathogen, believed to be responsible for millions of antibiotic-resistant infections worldwide each year.

Source: University of Sheffield