Herpes medicine against potentially deadly antibiotic resistant bacteria – healing practice

Treatment of Klebsiella pneumoniae with edoxudin

A medicine to treat herpes could be the solution in the fight against antibiotic resistant bacterial strains represent one of the greatest global threats to human health according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

In a new study involving experts from University of Geneva A total of 1,099 chemical compounds were analyzed to identify the multidrug-resistant hospital germ Klebsiella pneumoniae to weaken it so that it can be destroyed more easily by the body’s immune cells. The results are published in the journal “PLOS ONE“published.

A dangerous pathogen

Klebsiella pneumoniae (also known as hospital germ) commonly causes respiratory, intestinal, and urinary tract infections. A problem in treating the bacterium is that it is against the resistant to most antibiotics used is.

This leads with the high virulence The research team reports that in some strains, 40-50% of those infected die.

Problems in drug development

The development of new drugs is also often difficult, expensive and time-consuming. Moreover, there is ultimately no guarantee that the desired effect will be achieved.

Therefore, in their new study, the researchers took the approach existing drugs to verify their effectiveness against multi-resistant bacteria. To do this, the team evaluated hundreds of approved drugs that have potential benefits. Klebsiella pneumoniae have been linked.

A herpes drug against resistant bacteria?

The team used an amoeba called dictyostelium check whether or not Klebsiella pneumoniae has been weakened by the treatment. Dictyostelium is a single-celled organism that feeds on bacteria.

It does this by capturing and ingesting them, with the amoeba using the same mechanisms that immune cells use to kill pathogens, the team explains.

“We have genetically modified this amoeba so that it can tell us if the bacteria it encounters are pathogenic or not. Thanks to this very simple system, we were then able to test thousands of molecules and identify those that reduce the virulence of bacteria.‘ reports the author of the study Professor Pierre Cosson in a Press release.

Experts have therefore discovered that a drug called Edoxudinwhich is generally used to treat herpes is used, has a particularly promising effect.

Edoxudin alters the surface of bacteria

Edoxudin manipulated the bacteria in the study in such a way that its weakened protective surface and the body’s immune cells Klebsiella pneumoniae easier to destroy could.

“By altering the superficial layer that protects bacteria from their external environment, this pharmacological product makes them vulnerable. Unlike an antibiotic Edoxudin does not kill bacteriawhat is it Reduced risk of resistance development – a major advantage of such an anti-virulence strategy‘ explains the doctor.

Since the 1930s, medicine has relied on antibiotics to get rid of disease-causing bacteria, but other approaches such as trying to weaken the bacteria’s defense system so they can no longer evade the immune system are also possible.

The therapeutic approach presented is also particularly promising, since the virulence of Klebsiella pneumoniae is mainly based on its ability to to evade attacks by immune cellsadds the doctor.

Edoxudin is effective even at low doses

In the current investigation, the drug edoxudine was shown to have effects on the most virulent strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae, even when drug concentrations were reduced. under which laythe at herpes treatment are used, summarize the researchers.

Attenuating Klebsiella pneumoniae sufficiently, but without killing the bacteria, is a clever strategy, Prof Cosson believes, which could help in the short and long term Success in the fight against multi-resistant bacteria could lead to. Even if the results of the current study are quite encouraging, they must first be verified on humans. (as)