New type of dual-acting antibiotic shows promise

[cheryl]

New type of dual-acting antibiotic shows promise - Big Think

A new antibiotic hits germs with a two pronged attack.

• Antibiotic resistance is a big problem, but not many new drugs are currently under development.
• A recent discovery may give us a new antibiotic that is effective against a wide range of germs, including those resistant to other drugs.
• The new drug's mechanism also appears to signal the immune system, helping to amplify its response.

Antibiotic resistance is a major problem, but one that seems to bother academics and specialists more than it worries members of the general public. Years of intemperate and often outright irresponsible antibiotic usage has given many formally treatable diseases more chances to evolve immunity to first-line drugs. In some cases, terrible diseases are increasingly resistant to a wide variety of medications.

These bacteria have evolved various techniques for surviving exposure to antibiotics, including growing stronger cell walls to keep drugs out, producing enzymes that neutralize them, and even little pumps that remove them when they do get in.