Thanks to modern genetic sequencing technology, discovering potential therapies like bacteriocins is easier than ever. (Source: Shutterstock) |
In a study published in the medical journal Nature Microbiology (UK), a team led by Associate Professor Daria Van Tyne, Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine - University of Pittsburgh (USA) discovered three new strains of Enterococcus faecium - a type of bacteria that lives in the intestines and is capable of producing a special protein that helps destroy competing strains of bacteria.
This is seen as a breakthrough in better understanding how drug-resistant superbugs evolve and compete with each other.
The protein the team discovered was a bacteriocin—a “natural antibiotic” produced by bacteria to kill off their own species. Strains of Enterococcus faecium that produced bacteriocins quickly became the dominant strain, accounting for 80 percent of samples collected in 2022 at a hospital in the University of Pittsburgh system.
According to Associate Professor Daria Van Tyne, the bacteriocin acts like a needle that breaks the balloon, causing other bacterial cells to explode and self-destruct. In the experiment, the new strain of bacteria completely overwhelmed the old strain in the body of mice, which is similar to what happens in hospital environments, said study co-author Emma Mills, a doctoral student in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
The team analyzed the genomes of 710 samples of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) collected between 2017 and 2022. In addition, the team compared them with more than 15,000 VRE samples from international databases and found that these dominant strains also appeared in many other countries such as Australia and Denmark.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), antibiotic resistance is one of the most serious threats to public health, with 1.27 million direct deaths and contributing to about 4.95 million deaths in 2019. An analysis in the scientific journal Nature warns that without a breakthrough solution, that number could exceed 39 million people by 2050.
In that context, bacteriocin is considered a promising direction thanks to its ability to kill target bacteria without being toxic to humans, unlike many synthetic antibiotics.
Research is ongoing, with the hope of turning bacteriocins into superior “biological weapons” in the fight against drug-resistant superbugs, said Associate Professor Daria Van Tyne.
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/vu-khi-sinh-hoc-khac-che-sieu-vi-khuong-khang-thuoc-317613.html
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