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New antibiotic against cholera bacteria identified Washington:
Harvard Medical School researchers have identified a new type of
antibiotic against the cholera bacteria, according to a new study published
in the recent online edition of Science. The study states that while
traditional antibiotics kill bacteria outright by interfering with processes
essential for their survival, the new agent blocks production of bacterial
proteins that cause the severe diarrhoea associated with Vibrio cholerae
infection. "What we have done is made a custom, organism-specific antibiotic
against Vibrio cholerae," said researcher John Mekalanos, the Adele
Lehman professor of microbiology and molecular genetics at HMS. Using
a high-throughput screen of 50,000 small molecule candidate compounds,
the researchers identified several that turned off the expression of
virulence proteins, factors that help the bacteria invade its human
host and cause disease. They then showed that the most promising compound
prevented cholera bacteria from setting up an infection when introduced
into the digestive tract of mice. According to the researchers, since
most disease-causing organisms use elaborate virulence factors such
as toxins to do their damage, the new approach should be widely applicable.
"There is no reason our results cannot be replicated for a number of
other important pathogens," Mekalanos said.
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