New Antibiotic Clovibactin Offers Hope in The Treatment of AMR
18 Sept 2023 • A promising new antibiotic named clovibactin has been discovered by an international team of scientists, offering hope in the fight against antibiotic-resistant "superbugs." Isolated from previously unstudied bacteria found in North Carolina's sandy soil, clovibactin exhibits a unique mechanism of action.
It effectively combats a wide range of drug-resistant bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis. Unlike traditional antibiotics, clovibactin targets three essential molecules in bacterial cell wall construction, binding tightly to their pyrophosphate portion, while ignoring the variable sugar-peptide part. This novel mechanism makes it exceptionally difficult for bacteria to develop resistance. Additionally, the antibiotic's selective action on bacterial cells, rather than human cells, is attributed to its formation of stable fibrils on bacterial membranes.
While further research is needed, clovibactin's potential offers hope in the battle against antibiotic resistance, a global public health crisis responsible for millions of deaths each year. This potent antibiotic holds the promise of enabling the design of improved therapeutics that kill bacterial pathogens without resistance development.
Source: Cell | Read full story