Potential New Class of Antibiotic

            

By: Jessica Robertson

All currently marketed antibiotics are slowly but steadily losing their power against the bacteria of our time. Bacteria have been exposed to our drugs for decades now, and they continue to develop resistance mechanisms. It is absolutely essential that new agents be developed to war against the infections of our day if we plan to remain victorious against modern disease.

            An international team of researchers from Germany, Austria, and Canada has been busy studying a promising new antimicrobial mechanism. They are observing a small peptide known as MP196, which represents a class of very small peptides with a positive charge; composed of just four to ten amino acids, these peptides are showing themselves effective against a wide array of bacteria, even those that are considered multi-drug resistant and are common causes of sepsis. In order for a drug to be approved for use, its mechanism must be fully and deeply understood; after much thorough research, this team has finally answered that question, making the path to a new antibiotic a little easier.

The team showed that the peptide forces its way into the membrane of the bacterial cell, causing major disruptions in some of the crucial proteins located in the cell wall. The bacterial cell cannot continue the synthesis of its cell wall, an ongoing process that lends protection and stability to the cell, and the cell can no longer efficiently produce its own energy, making all cell mechanisms impossible.

The processes by which the peptide disarm the bacteria are special in nature, and the researchers predict that the peptide will be particularly difficult for bacteria to develop a resistance against. The nature of the process also ensures that the peptides will not harm human cells, since human cells lack the cell wall that the peptides are designed to attack.

Findings such as these establish hope that even in the face of numerous multi-drug resistant diseases, the age of the antibiotic is not over. We can all do our part to prolong the efficacy of our current drugs by following the directions of our prescriber's. Do not stop taking a series of antibiotic drugs unless directed by your doctor, and always properly dispose of unused antibiotics by returning the leftover pills to a participating pharmacy, instead of throwing them in trash or flushing them through the water system.