Teixobactine: hope in the fight against resistant pathogens

A new class of natural antibiotics are currently the bearers of hope in the fight against antibiotic-resistant pathogens. It is the active ingredient Teixobactin, which can be isolated from soil-dwelling bacteria called Eleftheria terrae. The antimicrobial substance was discovered in the year 2015. Now a research team has decrypted the killing mechanism of Teixobactin.

A research team led by Dr. Markus Weingarth, of the University of Utrecht has won, among others, with the support of researchers from the University of Liverpool basic new insights about how Teixobactine bacteria killing. For this, they took advantage of a previously unknown mechanism that could play in the development of new antibiotics an important role. The results of the research were recently presented in the prestigious scientific journal “Nature Communications”.

Antimicrobial resistance – a major threat

Antimicrobial resistance is a serious threat to human health. A report by the British government from the year 2016, and anticipates that by the year 2050, every year tens of millions of people due to resistant germs will die if no cure is found.

Great potential with hurdles

After the discovery of Teixobactin in 2015, consisting of eleven amino acids existing substance has been hailed as a turning point in the fight against multi-resistant bacterial pathogens. The active ingredient can resist killing duck germs such as MRSA, without the bacterial resistance to develop.

So far, it has not, however, make the active ingredient usable for humans, among other things, because not yet sufficiently understood, such as Teixobactin bacteria killing. If it was made for the people, it would be the first new class of antibiotics in 30 years, according to the research team.

A previously unknown killing mechanism

In the current research work, the international Team under the leadership of Dr. Markus Weingarth, of the University of Utrecht shows for the first time, in what way Teixobactine kill bacteria. So far, the assumption that the Teixobactine kill the bacteria by binding to bacterial cell wall stones such as Lipid II, but the new study suggests that instead of the active ingredient kills the bacteria by Teixobactine capture the cell wall stones Lipid II in massive clusters.

Simply put, no longer catch the Teixobactine the Lipid II building blocks of the bacteria, which are for the formation of cell walls available. As a result of this lack of a cell wall, a die block the bacteria.

Hope for better antibiotics

“Teixobactin could be one of our most potent weapons against pathogens such as M. tuberculosis, the kills alone, every year more than a Million people,” explains research leader Dr. Markus Weingarth. Thanks to the new study had now become much clearer how Teixobactin bacteria killing. On the Basis of these new findings will hopefully be possible to develop more powerful antibiotics, so the conclusion of the research team.(vb)

Editors ‘ note: In a first Version of this article wrongly gave the impression that Dr. Ishwar Singh has passed out of the University of Liverpool the study. We have adapted to the article and clearly stated that the line was Dr. Markus Weingarth, of the University of Utrecht.

Authors and source of information

This Text meets the requirements of the medical literature, medical guidelines, as well as current studies and was examined by doctors and Medical scientists.