Scientists have developed a drug that could help fight antibiotic-resistant infections and flesh-eating bacteria.
- Researchers have developed a new compound that eliminates bacterial infections in mice, including those that can lead to “flesh-eating” diseases.
- The new drug was named GmPcides (for Gram-positive-icide).
- According to researchers, it would be capable of attacking the membranes of Gram-positive bacteria such as enterococci, staphylococci and streptococci.
Antibiotic resistance is a growing public health problem. According to theINSERM, 800,000 people a year are affected by resistant bacteria that can have serious, even fatal, consequences. But researchers at Washington University School of Medicine may have found a solution. They have developed a drug that effectively eliminates bacterial infections in mice, including those caused by “flesh-eating” bacteria.
Their discovery was presented in the journal Science Advances, August 2, 2024.
New compound effective against dangerous Gram-positive bacteria
The compound, called GmPcides (for gram-positive-icide), targets Gram-positive bacteria known to cause antibiotic-resistant staph infections, toxic shock syndromes and “flesh-eating diseases.” The American team, which had already demonstrated that their substance could eliminate the problematic strains in experiments on petri dishes, decided to test it on necrotizing infections of soft tissues.
For this research, mice were infected with a pathogen called Streptococcus pyogenes. The latter is responsible for 500,000 deaths each year worldwide. Some animals were treated with GmPcides and others were not.
Rodents treated with the new compound fared better than others. They lost less weight, the ulcers characteristic of the infection were smaller, and they fought off the disease more quickly. Thus, the drug appears to reduce the virulence of the bacteria and speed up post-infection healing of damaged areas of the skin.
“All the Gram-positive bacteria we tested were sensitive to this compound. This includes enterococci, staphylococci, streptococci, Clostridium difficile (C. difficile), which are the main types of pathogenic bacteria.”adds Michael Caparon, co-lead author of the study in a press release. “The compounds have broad-spectrum activity against many bacteria.”
The substance attacks the membrane of resistant bacteria
Researchers have not yet fully identified the mechanisms that allow GmPcides to be so effective against drug-resistant infections. However, a microscopic examination revealed that the treatment appears to affect bacterial cell membranes, which form the outer covering of the microbes.
“One of the jobs of a membrane is to retain materials from the outside”explains Professor Caparon. “We know that within five to ten minutes of treatment with GmPcides, the membranes start to become permeable and allow things that would normally be excluded to enter the bacteria. This suggests that these membranes have been damaged.”
According to experts, this phenomenon disrupts the bacteria’s own functions. This would make the pathogen less effective in attacking the patient’s immune response.
Another advantage of GmPcides: tests indicate that the substance appears less likely to lead to drug-resistant strains.
While these results are promising, the researchers acknowledge that there is still a long way to go before their compound enters the arsenal of pharmacies.