Research Led by Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine Identifies Superbugs’ Weaknesses
March 07 2017 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
Annually, at least 2 million Americans become infected with
bacteria that have evolved over time to be resistant to
antibiotics, resulting in serious illness and in some cases death.
New research from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine
shows that these so-called “superbugs” might not be invincible
after all.
Scientists in Ross’ One Health Center for Zoonoses and Tropical
Veterinary Medicine studied two superbugs—Klebsiella pneumoniae
(MDR K. pneumonia) and Escherichia coli (MDR E. coli)—that cause
pneumonia and other severe infections. Their findings suggest that
innovative new drugs could potentially make these
multidrug-resistant (MDR) organisms defenseless.
The research findings were reported in Scientific Reports and
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, published by Nature
Publishing Group and the American Society of Microbiology,
respectively.
"Our research shows that resistant superbugs are not
invincible,” said Luca Guardabassi, DVM, Ph.D., Ross professor and
the principal investigator for this project. “They have an
Achilles’ heel and now we know how to defeat them.”
The “Achilles’ heel” for MDR K. pneumoniae is the gene dedA
which, when deactivated, made MDR K. pneumoniae sensitive to
colistin, the last resort antibiotic for treating infections caused
by the bacteria. Similarly, when other comparable genes were made
inactive, the susceptibility to beta-lactam antibiotics used to
fight MDR E. coli was restored.
The study points the way to developing innovative “helper” drugs
that could be administered along with antibiotics to increase their
effectiveness in killing drug resistant bacteria strains.
Differently from the antibiotic helper drugs currently used in
clinical practice (beta-lactamase inhibitors), the new helper drugs
prospected by Ross researchers may also be used to destroy bacteria
that is already susceptible to antibiotics. Reinforced antibiotic
activity against susceptible bacteria could lead to more efficient
drug administration—including patients receiving lower dosages of
antibiotics (such as colistin) that have toxic side effects—while
also reducing the potential for treatment failure due to factors
like immunosuppression.
Research collaborators include the University of Copenhagen and
the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in the U.K.
About Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine
Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine (Ross), founded in
1982, is committed to preparing students to become members and
leaders of the worldwide public and professional healthcare team
and to advance human, animal and ecosystem health through research
and knowledge exchange. Ross has focused research programs with an
emphasis on emerging infectious and zoonotic diseases, conservation
medicine, and ecosystem health. Ross offers postgraduate Masters’,
Ph.D. and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) programs accredited
by the St. Christopher & Nevis Accreditation Board. The DVM
program also holds accredited status from the American Veterinary
Medical Association (www.avma.org). Ross is a part of DeVry
Education Group (NYSE:DV). For more information about Ross,
visit www.rossu.edu/vet.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170307005269/en/
For Ross University School of Veterinary MedicineNicole Pride,
732-509-4822npride@devrymedical.org
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