New Antibiotic Teixobactin Offers Hope Against Drug-Resistant Illnesses

A new antibiotic known as Teixobactin made by Eleftheria terrae could be the new antibiotic that's won't lose a battle against dangerous infections, unlike the medical epidemic of bacterial resistance for a growing number of once treatable illnesses.

Director of the Antimicrobial Discovery Center at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, worked to bind the bacterial proteins that are essential for the microbe involved in the antibiotic. Though Lewis reiterates that many bacteria adapt themselves to drugs and develop avoidance, he's hopeful that this antibiotic could be a bit different.

"Mutations occur, the protein changes and the antibiotic no longer binds," said Lewis, the lead study author. "The targets of teixobactin are not proteins. It hits two different targets. These targets are precursors of cell wall polymers and they do not mutate. There is nothing to mutate. So, at least by that common mechanism, resistance does not occur."

Teixobactin destroys bacteria by causing cell walls to break down. For the study, researchers tested mice that were infected with three aggressive pathogens, including the following: Clostridium difficile, Mycobacterium tuberculous and Staphylococcus aureus. Study results revealed that the drug worked to successfully clear the infections.

While researchers continue to work on the advancements of this and other similar medications, it's estimated that teixobactin and drugs in a similar class will not be available for an estimated five years.

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Nature.

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