Scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have discovered a new antibiotic, called lolamicin, that can focus on Gram-negative pathogens without affecting other gut microbes.
Gram-negative bacteria are common causes of infections in the intestines, lungs, bladder and blood, and are difficult to kill. Experts said its resistance to current antibiotics is one of the most pressing threats facing global human health today.
In the experiment, scientists placed lolamicin in laboratory dishes against 130 drug-resistant strains of common Gram-negative bacteria, such as E. coli and pneumococci, and the drug killed each one of them, succeeding where many other antibiotics had failed.
In live rodents, lolamicin has also been successful in treating severe pneumonia and blood infections, while maintaining a healthy gut microbiome.
The scientists found that the drug had "no effect on the Gram-positive bacteria or non-pathogenic Gram-negative commensal bacteria" that were living in the mice.
This is an exciting discovery because a short course of antibiotic use can cause a rapid decline in the diversity of microbes living in the human gut.
The research team explained that the health consequences of these changes are not well understood, but they may leave the patient vulnerable to secondary infections after using some antibiotics.
Now, scientists are working to improve the experiment to ensure that pathogens do not become resistant to lolamicin over time.
“The gut microbiome is essential for maintaining host health, and its perturbation can lead to numerous adverse effects, including C. difficile infection and beyond,” they concluded.
Informative!
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