Antibiotic Resistance Is History

Posted: 12/4/2018  Updated: 5/28/2019, 3/21/2019

Update Of 5/28/2019

Here is a report on a new drug compound using  against Gram-negative bacteria: New compound which kills antibiotic-resistant superbugs discovered. Unfortunately, the drug compound is not described in any detail, presumably to protect intellectual property.

“The new drug compound has a range of exciting opportunities. … "As the compound is luminescent it glows when exposed to light. This means the uptake and effect on bacteria can be followed by the advanced microscope techniques … The studies ... have shown the compound seems to have several modes of action, making it more difficult for resistance to emerge in the bacteria” (emphasis added)

Update Of 3/21/2019

Just read Solving the efficiency of Gram-negative bacteria. It looks like the protective outer membrane consisting of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) molecules, the production of LPS, the bridge between the bacteria’s cytoplasm and outer membrane, and the transport of LPS from the interior to the outer membrane are now much better understood.

“... first author Owens identifies two crystal structures responsible for extracting LPS from the cytoplasm and moving the molecule onto the protein bridge. Previous research proposed that LPS gets to the bridge via multiple pathways, but Owens' work determined that ATP shuttles the molecule along just one path. … the protein bridge opens and closes gates that keep the LPS moving up toward the outer membrane. "The gate provides an explanation for unidirectional transport," ... "because gate closure prevents backflow."” (emphasis added)

Original Post

Work In Progress

A blog post with this motto: Antibiotic Resistance Is History was on my mind for some time. Never got around to capture salient scientific research on this topic.

As I become aware of new scientific research, I intend to update this blog post.

Fatty Acid Synthases & Tuberculosis

The Weizmann Institute in Israel has just published some very interesting research on particular membrane molecules of the tuberculosis bacterium (Mycobacterium tuberculosis; see FAS Track to Fighting Antibiotic-Resistant TB dated 11/26/2018; Structure of Type-I Mycobacterium tuberculosis fatty acid synthase at 3.3 Ångström resolution; emphasis added):

1. “...Animals and fungi tend to have type 1 (FAS-I), bacteria and archaea type 2 (FAS-II). But the TB bacterium has both FAS-I and FAS-II, and these two cooperate to produce fatty acids that are extra-long -- up to 90 carbon links in the chain, in contrast to the 16-carbon fatty acids in our cells.”
2. “Mtb FAS-I is an essential enzymatic complex that contributes to the virulence of Mtb, and thus a prime target for anti-TB drugs. The structural information for Mtb FAS-I we have obtained enables computer-based drug discovery approaches”

Previous, Related Posts

I have previously blogged about the Scandal of Antibiotic Resistance. Given all the advances in Genetics etc. it is not comprehensible at all why humans should not be able to defeat dangerous bacteria like we have defeated e.g. HIV Aids. There is no excuse!