Lewis’ team presents a novel approach to treat and eliminate methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA
Recent work from University Distinguished Professor of Biology Kim Lewis promises to overcome one of the leading public health threats of our time. In a groundbreaking study published Wednesday in the journal Nature, Lewis’ team presents a novel approach to treat and eliminate methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, a potent bacterium whose resistance to antibiotics has kept it one step ahead of researchers. That is, until now.
The so-??called “superbug” infects 1 million Americans each year. A major problem with MRSA is the development of deep-??seated chronic infections such as osteomyelitis (bone infection), endocarditis (heart infection), or infections of implanted medical devices. Once established, these infections are often incurable, even when appropriate antibiotics are used.
Bacteria such as MRSA have evolved to actively resist certain antibiotics, a fact that has generated significant interest among the scientific and medical communities. But Lewis, Director of Northeastern’s Antimicrobial Discovery Center, suspected that a different adaptive function of bacteria might be the true culprit in making these infections so devastating.
The new work represents the culmination of more than a decade of research on a specialized class of cells produced by all pathogens called persisters. According to Lewis, these cells evolved to survive. “Survival is their only function,” he said. “They don’t do anything else.”
Lewis and his research team posited that if they could kill these expert survivors, perhaps they could cure chronic infections—even those resistant to multiple antibiotics such as MRSA. Furthermore, said Brian Conlon, a postdoctoral researcher in Lewis’ lab and first author on the paper, “if you can eradicate the persisters, there’s less of a chance that resistance will develop at all.”
Lewis, who was elected to the American Academy of Microbiology in 2011 for his scholarship in the field, has found that persisters achieve their singular goal by entering a dormant state that makes them impervious to traditional antibiotics. Since these drugs work by targeting active cellular functions, they are useless against dormant persisters, which aren’t active at all. For this reason, persisters are critical to the success of chronic infections and biofilms, because as soon as a treatment runs its course, their reawakening allows for the infection to establish itself anew.
In the recent study, which also includes contributions from assistant professor Steve Leonard of the Department of Pharmacy Practice, Lewis’ team found that a drug called ADEP effectively wakes up the dormant cells and then initiates a self-??destruct mechanism. The approach completely eradicated MRSA cells in a variety of laboratory experiments and, importantly, in a mouse model of chronic MRSA infection.
Coupling ADEP with a traditional antibiotic, Conlon noted, allowed the team to completely destroy the bacterial population without leaving any survivors.
As with all other antibiotics, actively growing bacterial cells will likely develop resistance to ADEP. However, Lewis said, “cells that develop ADEP resistance become rather wimpy.” That is, other traditional drugs such as rifampicin or linezolid work well against ADEP-??resistant cells, providing a unique cocktail that not only kills persisters but also eliminates ADEP-??resistant mutant bacteria.
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus
- Kim Kardashian Stuns with Bleached Blonde Hair and All-Black Look as She Attends 2024 Lo Máximo Awards
Kim Kardashian is dressing to impress for the 2024 Lo Máximo Awards! The Kardashians star and style mogul, 43, brought glamor in spades with her outfit, as well as unveiling her return to ...
- Staphylococcus aureus News and Research
Staphylococcus aureus (SA) is an extremely common bacterial infection; about 30% of people have colonies of SA living in their nose. In this interview, Dr. Church, the Molecular and Pediatric ...
- Healthful lo mein will make you forget all about ordering Chinese takeout
With our better-than-takeout Chicken and Peanut Lo Mein, we’ve kept the flavors of this popular Chinese dish while cutting the fat, sodium and calories. Our lo mein is served over whole-wheat ...
- Difference between Methi and Kasuri Methi
Are you someone who loves the addition of methi in their daily meals for that unique punch of taste and flavour, then you need to read on! Well, most people find it confusing, when it comes to ...
- Alex Lo
Alex Lo has been a Post columnist since 2012, covering major issues affecting Hong Kong and the rest of China. A journalist for 25 years, he has worked for various publications in Hong Kong and ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus
[google_news title=”” keyword=”methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
MRSA
- Struggling With Recurring MRSA? Here Are Some Treatment Options
A viewer says they keep getting skin infections with MRSA; they want to know what it is and how it can be prevented. Doctor Lacy Anderson has the answer.
- Second Boeing whistleblower dies after raising concerns about 737 MAX
Boeing whistleblower has died after a sudden illness.Joshua Dean, a former quality auditor at Spirit AeroSystems, went public with claims that the company’s leadership ignored manufacturing defects in ...
- The Epidemiology of MRSA
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major cause of both nosocomial and community-acquired infections. Researchers delineated the epidemiologic patterns of MRSA infection in ...
- MRSA 'out of control and getting stronger'
The MRSA superbug has evolved into 'fitter' strains which could prove even more resistant to treatment, a leading scientist warned on Tuesday. Professor Hajo Grundmann, a world expert in ...
- Boeing-Linked Whistleblower Dead, the Second in 2 Months: ‘He Possessed Tremendous Courage,’ Lawyers Say
A Kansas man is now the second whistleblower linked to Boeing to die in the last two months Family said Joshua Dean died after contracting influenza B, MRSA and developing pneumonia The 45-year-old ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
MRSA
[google_news title=”” keyword=”MRSA” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]