CLEVELAND September 16, 2010 Menachem Shoham, PhD, associate professor and researcher in the department of biochemistry at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, has identified new anti-pathogenic drugs that, without killing the bacteria, render Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) harmless by preventing the production of toxins that cause disease.
Infections of MRSA are a growing public health problem causing 20,000 deaths per year in the U.S. alone. MRSA is the most prevalent bacterial pathogen in hospital settings and in the community at large. The problem has become increasingly severe due to the fact that the bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics. Currently, there are only two antibiotics available to treat MRSA (vancomycin and linezolid) and strains are emerging that are resistant even to these two remaining antibiotics. As result, healthcare providers are running out of options to treat patients suffering from antibiotic-resistant infections, creating a dire need for alternative treatments and approaches.
"Staph bacteria are ubiquitous and normally do not cause infections, however, occasionally these bacteria become harmful due to their secretion of toxins," said Dr. Shoham. "We have discovered potential "anti-pathogenic" drugs that block the production of toxins, thus rendering the bacteria harmless. Contrary to antibiotics, these new anti-pathogenic drugs do not kill the bacteria. And since the survival of the bacteria is not threatened by this approach, the development of resistance, like that to antibiotics, is not anticipated to be a serious problem."
Dr. Shoham identified a bacterial protein, known as AgrA, as the key molecule responsible for the release of toxins. AgrA, however, needs to be activated to induce toxin production. His goal was to block the activation of AgrA with a drug, thus preventing the cascade of toxin release into the blood that can lead to serious infections t
'/>"/>
| Contact: Christina DeAngelis christina.deangelis@case.edu 216-368-3635 Case Western Reserve University Source:Eurekalert |
Related biology news :
1. Case Western Reserve geneticist receives prestigious NIH Directors Pioneer Award
2. Pancreatic cancers use fructose, common in the Western diet, to fuel their growth
3. UT Southwestern researchers find key step in bodys ability to make red blood cells
4. Case Western Reserve awarded $4.7 million from Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
5. UT Southwestern researchers use novel sperm stem-cell technique to produce genetically modified rats
6. Temperature and salt levels of the Western Mediterranean are on the increase
7. UT Southwestern researchers find mechanism that may stop E. coli from developing in cattle
8. UT Southwestern researchers identify key molecular step to fighting off viruses
9. Case Western Reserve team discovers smart insulin molecule
10. UT Southwesterns BioCenter driving biotech, medical innovation in North Texas
11. New brain nerve cells key to stress resilience, UT Southwestern researchers find
| Copyright © 2003-2012 Bio-Medicine. All rights reserved. ABOUT | CONTACT US | DISCLAIMER | PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS AND CONDITIONS |  |