Antibiotic tagged posts

University of Colorado Boulder chemistry researchers have developed a novel way to synthesize and optimize a naturally-occurring antibiotic compound that could one day be used to fight lethal drug-resistant infections such as Staphylococcus aureus, commonly known as MRSA.

Antibiotic-resistant infections afflict over 2 million people annually and result in over 23,000 deaths in the U.S. each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A 2018 study by the CDC’s European counterpart found that drug-resistant superbugs were responsible for 33,000 deaths across Europe in 2015.

Researchers have previously identified thiopepti...

African Acacia Vachellia drepanolobium tree houses Tetraponera ant colonies inside hollow domatia. Formicamycins, antibacterial polyketides produced by Streptomyces formicae isolated from the plant-ants can combat MRSA

A new antibiotic, produced by bacteria found on a species of African ant, is very potent against antibiotic-resistant ‘superbugs’ like MRSA. Researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA) and t

he John Innes Centre (JIC) discovered a new member of the Streptomyces bacteria family, isolated from the African fungus-growing plant-ant Tetraponera penzigi. They have named the new species Streptomyces formicae and the antibiotics formicamycins, after the Latin formica, meaning ant.

Lab tests have shown these new antibiotics are effective against methicillin resistant Staphyloc...

Highlights •Gut microbes promote α-synuclein-mediated motor deficits and brain pathology •Depletion of gut bacteria reduces microglia activation •SCFAs modulate microglia and enhance PD pathophysiology •Human gut microbiota from PD patients induce enhanced motor dysfunction in mice

Gut microbes may play a critical role in the development of Parkinson’s-like movement disorders in genetically predisposed mice, researchers report December 1 in Cell. Antibiotic treatment reduced motor deficits and molecular hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease in a mouse model, whereas transplantation of gut microbes from patients with Parkinson’s disease exacerbated symptoms in these mice...

The chemical structure of newly discovered antibiotic Lugdunin. Also in the photograph: the two lead authors Alexander Zipperer (left) and Martin Christoph Konnerth (right). Credit: Martin Christoph Konnerth

A potential lifesaver lies unrecognized in the human body: Scientists have discovered that Staphylococcus lugdunensis which colonizes in the human nose produces a previously unknown antibiotic. As tests on mice have shown, the substance, Lugdunin is able to combat multiresistant pathogens, where many classic antibiotics have become ineffective.

Infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria – like the pathogen Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) which colonizes on human skin – are among the leading causes of death worldwide...