New Study Underscores Urgent Need for New Antibiotics

According to a recent study published in The Lancet, nearly 1.3 million people worldwide were killed by antibiotic-resistant bacteria, the so-called superbugs, in 2019. Those are more deaths annually than those from either HIV or malaria. This new data underscores the already-grim danger that antibiotic-resistant bacteria pose, a threat that public health and national security experts have sounded the alarm over for years, and highlights the urgent need for action.

Also of concern, additional data indicates the superbug threat has escalated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a significant increase in health care-associated infections in 2020, many of which were caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). And, Pew’s own research has shown high rates of antibiotic use among hospitalized COVID-19 patients, which may have accelerated the emergence and spread of superbugs.

This and other data confirm what public health experts have long known: The threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria grows more serious by the day, and the need for new antibiotics has never been more urgent. Yet, there continue to be too few antibiotics in development, and as the authors of the Lancet study point out regarding research for new types of these drugs: “[I]nvestments have been small compared with those in other public health issues with similar or less impact.”

The bipartisan Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions to End Upsurging Resistance Act, or PASTEUR Act, offers Congress an opportunity to take meaningful action on this issue immediately. Introduced in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the bill would help reinvigorate the pipeline of new antibiotics by providing sizable government contracts for developing and ensuring access to high-priority drugs. This approach pays for new drugs based on their value to public health rather than how many doses are sold, addressing a core issue that has led to a broken antibiotics market. It is also consistent with the type of policy that numerous authoritative reports, commissions, and experts have identified as essential for breathing life back into a chronically insufficient antibiotics pipeline.

Additionally, the PASTEUR Act would foster appropriate use of these lifesaving drugs by including financial support for hospital antibiotic stewardship programs, which ensure that these drugs are used only when necessary and at the correct dose and duration, to help slow the spread of resistance and preserve the effectiveness of existing and new antibiotics. This kind of support is particularly critical for small and rural hospitals, which often have limited resources.

As more and more pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies abandon antibiotic research and development and the death toll from superbug infections rises, there’s no time to waste. The PASTEUR Act would jump-start innovation of the types of new antibiotics that are essential to protecting patients today—and are critical to public health and biosecurity preparedness. Congress should pass this legislation as soon as possible.

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Newly discovered antibiotics kill bacteria differently

Antibiotic resistance is a growing public health problem across the globe, with many diseases becoming harder to treat. Now, a newly discovered antibiotic group shows promise in the fight against superbugs as it has a unique way of killing bacteria.

A team of scientists at McMaster University has found a new group of antibiotics that can fight infections in a new and unique way. These antibiotics fight infections in a way researchers have never seen before, according to the findings of the study described in the journal Nature.
Holy grail' of antibiotics

The newly found group of antibiotics, consisting of corbomycin and complestatin, can kill bacteria by blocking the function of the bacterial cell wall. These drugs come from a family of antibiotics known as glycopeptides, which are produced by soil bacteria.

The two antibiotics attack peptidoglycan, the main component of the bacterial cell wall that is vital to the growth and survival of almost all bacteria. They inhibit the action of autolysins, which are important for cell division and growth.

Other antibiotics, such as penicillin, work by preventing the bacteria from building its wall, which is the source of its strength. In killing the bacteria, removing its wall will make it vulnerable and easier to kill.

These new antibiotics work by doing the opposite. Instead of preventing building the wall, it halts the wall ll from being broken down. As a result, blocking the breakdown of the wall would make it impossible for them to divide and expand – just like being trapped in prison.

Unique bacteria killer
The two new antibiotics are known as glycopeptides. The team studied the genes of the group to see if they lack resistance mechanisms. The team believes that if the genes that made these drugs different, perhaps the way they kill will also be different.

In collaboration with scientists from the Université de Montréal, including Yves Brun, they found that the drugs act on the bacterial cell wall to prevent it from dividing and proliferating. 

"Knowing the detailed structure at the atomic level of this connection between the surface layer and the surface of the cell offers enormous potential to then develop molecules that can target this attachment and make the cell more sensitive to antibacterials," Yves Brun, study co-author, said.

"Combined with the discovery of the new mode of action of two antibiotics, this development opens up prospects for weakening the action of bacteria and making them more vulnerable," he added.

The researchers believe the group of drugs is a promising clinical candidate in the hopes of stemming bacteria from becoming resistant to antibiotics.

Fight against antibiotic resistance

Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest threats to global health, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Though it happens naturally, the misuse of antibiotics is hastening the process, making it easy to treat infections in the past harder to curb now.

Further, antibiotic resistance increase hospital stays and medical costs. For instance, diseases in the past that were responsive to certain antibiotics may become resistant and difficult to stem, such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, gonorrhea, and other infections. Now, as the diseases become stronger and more resilient, outbreaks may become inevitable, unless new drugs are discovered.

In the United States alone, at least 2.8 million people become infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria each year, while more than 35,000 people die.

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Antibiotic in human skin can beat superbugs. Now scientists have a way to put it to use

A team of scientists in Bengaluru has claimed that it was able to stimulate skin cells to secrete naturally occurring antibiotics that can help treat ‘superbugs’ or drug-resistant bacteria.

Antibiotic drugs used to treat infections are increasingly becoming ineffective globally, with bacteria having developed resistance to them over time.

According to the latest study published last month in journal Cell Reports, scientists have discovered a way to stimulate skin cells to secrete antimicrobial peptides (AMPs).

AMPs target and kill bacteria in such variable ways that few bacteria ever become resistant to these molecules. This makes them uniquely suited to treating antibiotic-resistant bacteria, also called superbugs.

So far, artificially creating effective AMPs for use as antibiotic had not been possible.

The new discovery has the potential to treat and prevent infections for post-surgery wounds, especially in diabetic patients and those with weakened immune systems, the researchers said in a statement Thursday.

The team comprises scientists from the National Centre for Biological Sciences, an affiliate of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, the Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (inStem) and the R&D department of Unilever, all based in Bengaluru.

How the method came about

To develop new strategies to deal with antimicrobial resistance, scientists from inStem and Unilever probed the cellular mechanisms that regulate the release of AMPs.

Apart from their role as natural antibiotics, AMPs are also known to be involved in wound healing.
Amitabha Majumdar, a researcher at Unilever, hypothesised that the same machinery used to release AMPs during wound-healing could be harnessed to control AMP release from skin cells for treating or preventing infections.

To test this, Majumdar worked with Colin Jamora, a researcher at inStem’s Centre for Inflammation and Tissue Homeostasis, whose group works extensively on the mechanisms of wound-healing in skin.

The team found a new signalling pathway for long-term release of AMPs from skin cells. Usually, AMPs are released to fight off bacterial infections when direct contact between skin epidermal cells and bacteria occurs. This process is triggered by a reduction in the levels of a protein called caspase-8.

The scientists found that using molecular techniques to reduce caspase-8 is enough to trigger the release of stored AMP from skin cells.

Their study showed that just by modulating caspase-8 levels in the skin, AMP release can be controlled to prevent a whole spectrum of infections.

This may be especially useful for diabetics and patients with weakened immune systems who are highly susceptible to bacterial, yeast, fungal, and viral infections in post-surgery wounds.

Over the last century, bacteria have evolved so much to protect themselves against antibiotics that the World Health Organisation (WHO) fears humankind may soon slip back into a situation similar to the pre-antibiotic era.

According to a WHO report, the death toll caused by antimicrobial resistance is estimated to rise to 10 million annually by 2050 — with India carrying one of the largest burdens of drug-resistant pathogens worldwide.

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Life-threatening bacteria found in Make-up products:

The vast majority of in-use make-up products such as beauty blenders, mascara and lip gloss are contaminated with potentially life threatening superbugs, researchers have warned.

"Make-up products used every day by millions of people in the UK are contaminated with potentially deadly bugs, such as E.coli and Staphylococci, because most are not being cleaned and are used far beyond their expiry dates," said study lead author.

According to the study published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology, bacteria that can cause illnesses ranging from skin infections to blood poisoning if used near eyes, mouth or cuts or grazes were found in nine out of ten of the products.

This risk is amplified in immunocompromised people who are more likely to contract infections from opportunistic bacteria.

The relatively new beauty blenders - sponges used to apply skin foundation products - were found to have the highest levels of potentially harmful bacteria - with the vast majority (93 per cent) not having ever been cleaned, despite more than two thirds (64 per cent) being dropped on the floor at some point during use.

The research looked at beauty blender products - hugely popular make-up sponges used to blend foundation and contouring on the face.

Often endorsed by celebrities, these sponges are estimated to have sold over 6.5 million worldwide.

The researchers found these products are particularly susceptible to contamination as they are often left damp after use, which creates an ideal breeding ground for harmful bacteria.

"Consumers' poor hygiene practices when it comes to using make-up, especially beauty blenders, is very worrying when you consider that we found bacteria such as E.coli - which is linked with faecal contamination - breeding on the products we tested," Bashir said.

The findings reveal that consumers are unwittingly putting themselves at risk, and that manufacturers and regulatory bodies should do more to protect their customers by making expiry dates and cleaning requirements more prominent on packaging.

EU guidance holds make-up brands to strict hygiene standards of manufacture and states that E.coli in particular should not be found in any concentration in new cosmetic products.

However, there is currently limited consumer protection around the risks of contaminating products while in use.

According to the study, post-Brexit, UK consumers could be at even greater risk as they will no longer be protected by EU regulations and could find themselves purchasing more beauty products from the US - for example - where there are no regulatory requirements to put expiry dates on make-up packaging at all.

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