New ‘Smart’ Antibiotic Could Tackle The Most Common Bacterial Infection Affecting The US Hospitals

New ‘Smart’ Antibiotic Could Tackle The Most Common Bacterial Infection Affecting The US Hospitals
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Across the United States, the majority of the hospitals are facing a massive problem with a bacterial infection. Clostridium difficile bacterium triggers the most common bacterial infection that affects the US hospitals. Luckily, a new ‘smart’ antibiotic could tackle this common issue.

When the bacteria reach in the human body, the toxins released by Clostridium difficile cause diarrhea and colitis. Annually, 500,000 US patients contract this pathogen. Unfortunately, nearly 30,000 patients with C. difficile infection (CDI) die.

This bacteria developed into a superbug (antibiotic-resistant bacteria) precisely due to the reckless administration of antibiotics across the US, which is quite ironic now since a new smart antibiotic could be the ideal medication against the CDI.

The irony goes even more profound as the Clostridium difficile bacteria take advantage of the healing effects of antibiotics administered to fight against other pathogens. These medications affect the beneficial bacterial flora in the guts, and that’s precisely what C. difficile expects to reproduce.

A new ‘smart’ antibiotic to tackle the most common bacterial infections in the US hospitals, the Clostridium difficile infection (CDI)

Addressing CDI with regular antibiotics is often either very slow and tricky or impossible, depending from one case to another. Thus, a new approach is needed, and the answer might come from a new ‘smart’ antibiotic.

The researchers are working on developing a new type of antibiotics that don’t affect the beneficial bacterial flora in the guts and kills only the C. difficile bacteria. According to the scientists, the new ‘smart’ antibiotics is only affecting the Clostridium difficile bacteria because it targets its DNA directly. More specifically, it blocks those genes within the C. difficile DNA  which are responsible for the survival and proliferation of the bacteria.

Also, the researchers pointed out that there are many steps to be taken before the new ‘smart’ antibiotic reach mass production, but when it does, the medicine could also be ‘programmed’ to attack other antibiotic-resistant bacteria, as well.


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