Researchers have recently modified the antibiotic, vancomycin and make it more powerful against bacteria. The modification now can work to prevent the antibiotic resistant infections.
Antibiotic resistance is becoming a headache and researchers are trying to address this issue. They have recently brought a great breakthrough in this arena and modified the popular medicine, vancomycin. The aim is to make the antibiotic more strong and powerful.
For the last 60 years, doctors have prescribed the antibiotic vancomycin to fight against bacteria. But, recently, bacteria are becoming resistant to it, The Guardian reported. Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute in the United States have finally achieved the success in modifying the medicine.
Vancomycin avails three ways to make it difficult for the bacteria to develop any kind of resistance. The researchers claim that doctors now can easily prescribe the medicine without any fear. They utter that the new modified version is secure and the emerging resistance is no more possible.
Antibiotic resistance is a matter of great concern at present. The World Health Organisation or WHO also warns this issue as a major threat to the global health. Due to this emerging resistance, it is getting more difficult to treat many diseases as medicines sometimes can't play an effective role in tackling diseases. But, the newly modified vancomycin can play an effective role in order to tame the bacteria.
Bacteria took a lengthy period of time that is almost 60 years to build the resistance to vancomycin. The time frame indicates that it was really difficult for the bacteria to tame the original drug and to construct the cell walls. The research team earlier investigated the antibiotic thoroughly and discovered that two significant modifications could be added to it. They called the drug "magical" due to its strength to battle against infection.
The aim of the previous study was also to uncover ways to decrease the amount of vancomycin to avail the similar effectiveness. But, the current study unveils another important modification that can interfere with the bacteria cell walls acquiring the different way. The popular journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals this study.
To explore the most effective outcome of the new modification the researchers have combined the earlier alterations with the new one. This process increases the activity of the vancomycin 1,000-fold. It helps doctors to use less amount of this antibiotic in order to fight against infection.
According to Phys.org, the new revelation makes vancomycin as the first antibiotic that can have the capability to provide three independent mechanisms of action. Dale Boger, the lead personality of the study and co-chair of TSRI's Department of Chemistry, opines that these mechanisms enhance the durability of the medicine. In a word, the new modified version is a great breakthrough in the arena of medical treatment.
Vancomycin was tested against the Enterococci bacteria and interestingly, the outcome was quite impressive. The new modified version of this antibiotic killed the real forms of the Enterococci and the vancomycin-resistant Enterococci. The researchers will now try to develop a way in order to synthesize this modified vancomycin.
