Antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Scientists at the University of Exeter have developed a promising technique that could help slow the rise of antibiotic-resistant superbugs, by quickly illuminating bacteria when antibiotics are having the desired effect.

MRSA is a common and quite dangerous hospital infection that’s resistant to many drugs. Now researchers have developed a new treatment path that targets not the bacteria itself, but the toxins they produce. Tests on mice have proved promising so far.

A study from scientists at the University of California, Davis, has found unpasteurized milk, commonly known as raw milk, holds large volumes of antimicrobial-resistant genes which can swiftly spawn dangerous bacteria when left at room temperature.

Bacteria build protective communities called biofilms that make it tough to get antibiotics in, leading to further health problems. But now, researchers have found a new weakness in biofilms that could be exploited.

A team of Princeton researchers has uncovered a first-of-a-kind compound that works like a “poisoned arrow” on superbugs, penetrating the protective layers of bacteria to tear up its interior while remaining immune to antibiotic resistance.

The cell wall of bacteria helps keep toxins such as antibiotics out. Now, researchers have discovered a key mechanism that bacteria use to build their cell walls, which could present a new target in the ongoing quest to develop new drugs.

Bacteria are a looming threat to public health, as they continue to develop resistance to antibiotics. Now a new study has identified a peptide that can make existing antibiotics more effective at a much lower dose.

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.