MRSA, otherwise known as antibiotic-resistant bacteria, are some scary bugs. There was a fairly recent local outbreak in the D.C. area, which left a lot of people feeling pretty helpless and apprehensive. Public schools are still dealing with the threat -- but the best they can do is focus on prevention. For the most part, we only have a few options when it comes to treating bacterial infections.
So what happens when bacteria become better than the drugs we use to kill them? Do the bugs just win? I mean, I know they've pretty much been around since the dawn of time, but aren't we smarter than they are?
Yes! (Thank goodness.) A group of researchers led by the University of Warwick have investigated the process these bacteria use to get around penicillin's attack strategy of breaking down the cell wall of the bacterium. Now that they know the protein and the chemical reaction associated with resistance, (the trick seems to be that resistant bacteria have been building their cell walls with more ropes than ordinary bacteria) they can work on ways to mess it up.
Once they can disrupt this deceptively cutely named MurM reaction, penicillin will be able to kill the previously resistant bacteria.
I like it when humans win!
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3 comments:
Now, now. We haven't won yet. Next you'll be telling us we can keep the glaciers from melting us into puddles up to our ears.
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That's freaking awesome.
Maybe it'll save some people who can help with some of those other pesky problems.
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