Sunday, June 4, 2023
News on Pathogens and Preparedness
Global Biodefense
  • Featured
  • COVID-19
  • Funding
  • Directory
  • Jobs
  • Events
  • Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • COVID-19
  • Funding
  • Directory
  • Jobs
  • Events
  • Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
Global Biodefense
No Result
View All Result
Home Antimicrobial Resistance

Possible Game-Changing Antibiotics from Soil Bacterium

by Global Biodefense Staff
January 8, 2015
Resistant Bacteria - MRSA Neutrophil

MRSA neutrophils. Image courtesy of NIAID

Resistant Bacteria - MRSA Neutrophil
MRSA neutrophils. Image courtesy of NIAID

Researchers have found a potential drug to fight the evolving antibiotic crisis, buried just underfoot in the soil in Maine.

Named teixobactin, the promising target was discovered by a team led by Kim Lewis of Northeastern University, and has proven effective at killing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis in mice, and a host of other pathogens in cell cultures.

Soil-based bacteria are historically under-researched, as they are extremely difficult to culture in a laboratory. So scientists led by Kim Lewis of Northeastern University in Boston developed a way to culture bacteria in their natural environment.

The team created a device which enables ‘unculturable’ microbes to thrive by separating soil microbes into chambers which are sandwiched by semi-permeable membranes and reburied in soil. The membranes allow the microbes to have continued interaction with their complex natural environment, enabling production of larger bacterial colonies for research.

Both the soil-culturing device itself and the potential antibiotics it has already helped find are exciting breakthroughs. The culturing device has unlocked a pathway to further exploration of soil-bacterium for drug targets. And while the results are in early models, teixobactin in particular shows promise because of indicators that it will be difficult for pathogens to develop resistance against it.

Read more on this story at Nature: Promising Antibiotic Discovered in Microbial ‘Dark Matter’

Tags: AntimicrobialsEmerging ThreatsMRSA

Related Posts

Vials of finished vaccines
Funding News

UK Biomanufacturing Fund to Bolster Supply Chain Resilience and Pandemic Preparedness

May 26, 2023
Dr. Sen Pei Discusses Challenges in Forecasting Antimicrobial Resistance
Antimicrobial Resistance

Dr. Sen Pei Discusses Challenges in Forecasting Antimicrobial Resistance

April 26, 2023
Aptitude Awarded Up to $54M BARDA Funding for At-Home Diagnostics
Industry News

Aptitude Awarded Up to $54M BARDA Funding for At-Home Diagnostics

April 20, 2023
Medical Countermeasures

Scientists Design Molecule to Slow SARS-Cov-2 Infection

March 29, 2023
Load More

Latest News

Vials of finished vaccines

UK Biomanufacturing Fund to Bolster Supply Chain Resilience and Pandemic Preparedness

May 26, 2023
Dr. Sen Pei Discusses Challenges in Forecasting Antimicrobial Resistance

Dr. Sen Pei Discusses Challenges in Forecasting Antimicrobial Resistance

April 26, 2023
Biodefense Headlines – 25 April 2023

Biodefense Headlines – 25 April 2023

April 25, 2023
Aptitude Awarded Up to $54M BARDA Funding for At-Home Diagnostics

Aptitude Awarded Up to $54M BARDA Funding for At-Home Diagnostics

April 20, 2023

Subscribe

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Subscribe

© 2023 Stemar Media Group LLC

No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • COVID-19
  • Funding
  • Directory
  • Jobs
  • Events
  • Subscribe

© 2023 Stemar Media Group LLC