With the invention of antibiotics in the 20th century, a new era in medicine began. Diseases that were sometimes fatal could be cured. But many antibiotics no longer work today because bacteria also learn and develop resistance.
Antibiotic resistance is a “threat to global health”
The consequences can be fatal for those affected. According to the Robert Koch Institute, 33,000 people die every year in Europe alone from multi-resistant germs. Since they increasingly occur in healthcare settings such as hospitals or care facilities, the risk is particularly high. “Antibiotic resistance represents an increasing threat to global health,” emphasizes a report from the European Court of Auditors.
The report sees the incorrect and excessive use of antibiotics as the cause. Doctors should only prescribe medication if they are really necessary. The use of antibiotics in animal husbandry is also criticized.
Cresomycin as a new hope
The resistance to antibiotics arises because many bacteria now change their ribosomes – the cells in which proteins are made. However, since most antibiotics attack these very cells, they lose their effectiveness.
Scientists at Harvard University are starting their research right there. In a study, they looked for new, effective medications against bacteria. They developed the antibiotic “cresomycin,” which binds more effectively to the ribosomes and remains effective even when changes occur. According to the research report, cresomycin is said to help against various multi-resistant germs, including hospital germs such as Staphylococcus aureus. The bacterium can cause wound infections in immunocompromised patients. Without effective treatment, they can result in sepsis and can be life-threatening.
Promising animal experiments with a new antibiotic
The laboratory tests and preclinical experiments with cresomycin are promising. Mice on which the antibiotic was tested survived fatal sepsis. They were previously infected with the resistant Staphylococcus aureus. In other infections, the bacterial load could also be significantly reduced without damaging healthy cells.
This means that the prerequisites for the first clinical tests are met. The scientists are confident. “Although we do not yet know whether cresomycin and similar drugs are safe and effective in humans, our results show significantly improved inhibitory activity compared to clinically approved antibiotics against a long list of pathogenic bacterial strains that kill more than a million people each year,” said Andrew Myers, professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Harvard University and leader of the study.