MONDAY, Aug. 29, 2005 (HealthDay News) -- One of a new line of synthetic antibiotics is showing promise in defeating deadly "superbugs," highly drug-resistant staph bacteria that are an increasing source of hospital-based infections.
"We are the first to demonstrate this unique strategy, which could provide a new line of defense against the growing problem of antibiotic resistance," said study leader Shahriar Mobashery, a chemist at Notre Dame University. "As scientists, we're trying to stay one step ahead of the bacteria. The more strategies there are to fight resistance, the better."
In preliminary lab tests, the compounds were effective against vancomycin-resistant MRSA, a rare but extremely deadly staph strain for which treatment options are very limited.
The drugs are synthetic forms of cephalosporin, a broad-spectrum antibiotic closely related to penicillin, according to research being presented at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in Washington, D.C.
The new antibiotics appear to kill bacteria by acting as a "wolf in sheep's clothing," masquerading as components of the bacteria's cell wall in order to deactivate an enzyme that functions as a key bacterial defense mechanism.
More information
The Nemours Foundation has more about staph infections.
