British scientists say they have managed to defeat more rival teams around the world in the race to create a new synthetic antibiotic. They hope that their new antibiotic, which is, in reality, an improved version of the natural antibiotic teixobactin discovered in the soil by American scientists in 2015, will be an appropriate treatment for hospital superbugs and a series of infections which are caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria, that are more and more common in the last decade due to the reckless consumption of antibiotics.
The recently-discovered antibiotic was successfully tested on mice
A science team from The Lincoln University has collaborated with teams of scientists from the University of Liverpool, as well as with researchers from the Netherlands, Belgium, and Singapore to achieve such results, as reported in the local media.
Their study was recently published in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
The researchers provided the first evidence, based on trials conducted on mice, that the new treatment can eliminate Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant enterococci, these bacteria being listed on the World Health Organization’s new list of 12 priority pathologies for which there is no longer a viable antibiotic treatment, thus posing some of the greatest threats to humanity.
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria problem is still far from being solved out but steps forward are taken
The scientists’ work is a step forward but it does not change the desperate situation in the world of medicine, namely, the more and more difficult fight against superbugs.
The latest data from the Philadelphia-based US Pew Charity Trust shows that there are currently 80 possible new drugs, vaccines and other “non-traditional” products, competing with each other to address this problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The researchers are, however, optimistic that at least a few medicines will save mankind from the danger of losing the war against new generations of superbugs which can even trigger deadly infections.
