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New approach could lower antibiotic requirements by 50 times

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29.01.2007

Antibiotic doses could be reduced by up to 50 times using a new approach based on bacteriophages.

Steven Hagens, previously at the University of Vienna, told Chemistry & Industry, the magazine of the SCI, that certain bacteriophages, a type of virus that infects bacteria, can boost the effectiveness of antibiotics gentamicin, gramacidin or tetracycline.

It is the phages' ability to channel through bacterial cell membranes that boosts antibiotic effectiveness. 'Pseudomonas bacteria for example are particularly multi-resistant to antibiotics because they have efflux pump mechanisms that enable them to throw out antibiotics. A pore in the cell wall would obviously cancel the efflux effect,' Hagens explains.

Pseudomonas bacteria cause pneumonia and are a common cause of hospital-acquired infections.

Experiments in mice revealed that 75% of those infected with a lethal dose of Pseudomonas survived if the antibiotic gentamicin was administered in the presence of bacteriophages. None survived without the phages (Microb. Drug Resist., 2006, 12 (3), 164).

The bacteriophage approach would also be particularly useful for treating cases of food poisoning, because the lower doses of antibiotic needed would not disrupt the friendly bacteria in the gut - a big problem with conventional antibiotic treatments.

‘The prospect of using such treatments to prolong the life of existing agents and delay the onset of widespread resistance is to be welcomed,’ said Jim Spencer a lecturer in microbial pathogenesis at the University of Bristol.

The overuse of antibiotics since the 1940s had slowly created a host of infections that are resistant to antibiotics. MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) for example is rapidly spreading through hospitals, affecting more than 8,000 people in the UK every year. MRSA infection can lead to septic shock and death.

Contact: Lisa Richards, SCI Press Office on Tel: +44(0)207 5981548 Mob: +44(0)7791 688784 or Email: press@soci.org

About Chemistry & Industry

Chemistry & Industry magazine from SCI delivers news and comment from the interface between science and business. As well as covering industry and science, it focuses on developments that will be of significant commercial interest in five- to ten-years time. Published twice-monthly and free to SCI Members, it also carries authoritative features and reviews. Opinion-formers worldwide respect Chemistry & Industry for its independent insight.

About SCI

SCI is a unique international forum where science meets business on independent, impartial ground. Anyone can join, and the Society offers a chance to share information between sectors as diverse as food and agriculture, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, environmental science and safety. As well as publishing new research and running events, SCI has a growing database of member specialists who can give background information on a wide range of scientific issues. Originally established in 1881, SCI is a registered charity with members in over 70 countries.

Lisa Richards | Source: SCI Press Office
Further information: www.chemind.org

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