Antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Even after superbugs have been wiped out they can leave behind resistance genes for other bugs to use. Now, researchers at Rice University have developed new nanosheets that can “trap and zap” these loose genes in wastewater treatment plants.

Small “persister” populations of bacteria are able to hide from antibiotics, seeding a new colony afterwards. Now scientists at the University of Surrey have identified genetic mutations that turn some bugs into persisters by making them “forgetful.”

Bacteria are evolving resistance to antibiotics much faster than new drugs can be developed. Now, an artificial intelligence model has identified a powerful new antibiotic called halicin, which cleared infections of most superbugs in mouse tests.

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a smart bandage that changes color to signal either drug-resistant or drug-sensitive bacteria. It can then be triggered to release antibiotics or other chemicals to kill off the bugs.

Phages, viruses that thrive by infecting bacteria, have long been mooted as a potential replacement for antibiotics, but they pose risks due to their own rapid evolution. New research suggests it may be possible to mitigate their risks.

One of humanity’s biggest threats is also the smallest – bacteria. But now, researchers at RMIT in Australia have found a new method for killing these superbugs that they can’t resist – magnetic nanoparticles that physically tear them to shreds.

Researchers at Rice University have developed a new method to kill emerging superbugs, using molecular “drills” to pierce their cell walls. The same technique has also been shown to work on cancer cells.

One of the most alarmingly plausible (and overlooked) doomsday scenarios is the rise of the superbug, bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. But now, scientists have found a new potential treatment – and it was hiding in our skin the whole time.

Researchers at Northeastern University have discovered a new antibiotic called darobactin, hiding in the gut of a tiny, soil-dwelling, parasitic worm. Tests on mice have so far proved promising against gram-negative bacteria.

Researchers have analyzed a weapon that bacteria use to kill each other – a toxic "crossbow bolt" – which could inspire new antibiotics.

For the first time, scientists in Australia have observed bacteria shedding their protective shells and changing shape to escape detection by antibiotics.

A new study has discovered administering an antibiotic with a specific compound found in green tea can effectively kill a notoriously antibiotic resistant bacteria.