A beacon of hope in the race against bacterial resistance
Scientists from the University of Bonn, the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Utrecht University, Northeastern University in Boston and the company NovoBiotic Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge have together identified a new antibiotic called clovibactin and decoded its mode of action. Clovibactin, which comes from a soil bacterium in North Carolina, attacks the cell wall of bacteria, including numerous resistant “hospital germs”.
Prof. Dr. Tanja Schneider from the University of Bonn emphasized the urgency of new antibiotics in view of growing resistance. Clovibactin, unlike other common antibiotics, attaches itself with high intensity to essential building blocks of the bacterial cell and destroys its shell. It encloses the target structure “like a cage” and thus effectively prevents the development of resistance in bacteria.
The scientists are confident that bacteria will not quickly develop resistance to clovibactin. The mechanism of clovibactin is designed so that it not only attacks the cell wall building blocks, but also triggers other destructive mechanisms in the bacteria.
This research shows the great potential of natural bacteria as a source of new antibiotics. While the team is optimistic, Prof. Schneider emphasizes that it will still be some time before the drug is available to the general public.
Source: Medizin.NRW; University of Bonn
