Bioscience
engineers from KU Leuven in Belgium have developed a new antibacterial strategy
that weakens bacteria by preventing them from cooperating. Unlike with
antibiotics, there is no resistance to this strategy, because the non-resistant
bacteria outnumber resistant ones.
Traditional
antibiotics kill or reduce the activity of individual bacteria. Some bacteria
become resistant to these antibiotics, allowing them to grow further and take
over from non-resistant ones. The use of antibiotics therefore causes more and
more bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics.
The researchers
showed that blocking slime production of salmonella bacteria weakens the
bacterial community, making it easier to remove. They used a chemical,
antibacterial substance that was previously developed at KU Leuven.
The
scientists then compared the development of bacterial resistance to the new
substance with that of classical antibiotics in a so-called evolution
experiment. Evolution experiments are used to see how microorganisms adapt to a
certain situation. "
There
are several applications possible in agriculture, industry, and even our
households. To this end, the researchers collaborate with experts in various
applications, and with producers of animal feeds and cleaning products and
disinfectants. The researchers are also investigating whether they can
reproduce the phenomenon in other forms of microbial collaboration next to
biofilms, and with other bacteria.
See:
Lise
Dieltjens, Kenny Appermans, Maries Lissens, Bram Lories, Wook Kim, Erik V. Van
der Eycken, Kevin R. Foster, Hans P. Steenackers. Inhibiting bacterial
cooperation is an evolutionarily robust anti-biofilm strategy. Nature
Communications, 2020; 11 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13660-x
Posted by Dr. Tim Sandle, Pharmaceutical Microbiology Resources (http://www.pharmamicroresources.com/)
No comments:
Post a comment
Pharmaceutical Microbiology Resources