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Posted by Shameen February 09, 2019 at 1 pm IST Health
New York: Researchers have discovered two genes that make some strains of harmful bacteria resistant to treatment with copper, a powerful and frequently used antibacterial agent, says a new study.
The discovery showed that Staphyloccocus aureus bacteria, which is highly resistant to antibiotics, can acquire additional genes that promote infection and antibacterial resistance and could open new avenues for the development of antibacterial drugs.
The study, conducted by the American University Rutgers, showed that the two genes, named copB and copL, of certain strains of S. aureus bacteria protected copper germs.
Genes can promote the survival of S. aureus in environments, such as hospitals, that can cause infections or strains of S. aureus with higher copper resistance.
Recently, hospitals have started using it against bacteria in medical instruments and other surfaces. It has also been used for thousands of years to sterilize wounds and drinking water.
But the two newly discovered genes code for proteins that help remove copper from S. aureus cells and prevent it from entering the copper.
The results, published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, revealed that some strains of S. aureus possess newly acquired genes, incorporated in their genome to DNA fragments called transposons.
Transposons facilitate the spread of genes that can give rise to bacteria resistant to antibiotics and more likely to cause disease. The newly discovered genes are encoded in a transposon, the study said.
Source: IANS
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