Scientists make significant discovery on bacteria’s resistance to common antibiotics
Bacteria research could pave the way for effective treatment against harmful infections
- A new study has revealed a significant breakthrough in understanding how bacteria resist common antibiotics, potentially paving the way for more effective treatments against harmful infections.
- Scientists at the University of Edinburgh discovered that certain bacteria possess an Rtc repair system, which fixes damaged RNA to maintain protein production and growth, allowing them to survive antibiotic exposure.
- The research highlighted the unpredictable nature of bacterial responses to antibiotics, attributed to the varying expression of the Rtc repair system from one cell to another.
- This discovery, made through computer modelling and laboratory experiments involving E. coli, suggests that specifically targeting components of the Rtc system could enhance the efficacy of existing antibiotics.
- Published in Nature Communications, these findings offer new avenues for developing more potent therapies to tackle the urgent global health challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).