Scientists at the University of Colorado at Boulder are working to create a new way to combat antibiotic-resistant microbes. By 2050, resistant infections are expected to kill an estimated 10 million people annually, with the spread of dangerous bacteria accelerating due to the frequent antibiotic prescriptions associated with COVID-19. The dire consequences of the pandemic are revealed in an article published in PLOS Pathogens. This reported in the MedicalXpress press release.
Researchers used the SAFIRE method to find new molecules that could help fight infections. Out of 14,400 candidates, 70 most promising were selected. Moreover, one of them – JD1 – proved to be especially effective against gram-negative bacteria. These bacteria have an extra outer layer that protects them from antibiotics. However, the primary immune response helps JD1 enter microbes and target the inner membrane.
In experiments, JD1 reduced the survival rate of gram-negative bacteria Salmonella enterica by 95 percent. In this case, mammalian cells remain intact.
In the United States alone, 35,000 people die each year from bacterial infections that are resistant to existing drugs. Many other people suffer from intractable infections such as sore throat, urinary tract infections, and pneumonia. By 2050, the authors note, more people will die from bacteria than from cancer.