A new antibiotic has been discovered with no detectable resistance
A new antibiotic has been discovered with no detectable resistance February 26, 2015
As the threat of increased antibiotic resistance looms, there is a growing need to discover new and more powerful antibiotics. Previously, this was hindered by the ability to successfully culture bacteria: approximately 99% of bacteria grow in soil, and to date there has not been an effective method to culture them in a lab. This changed recently, however, when researchers teamed up with Novobiotic to develop a unique chamber for culturing soil bacteria.
This device, called the iChip, enabled the growth of bacteria that can only grow in soil. Following production of a colony, the bacteria can then be transferred to in vitro culture in a lab. Using this technique, the authors identified a new bacteria genus, Eleftheria terrae, which produces an antibiotic called teixobactin. Teixcobactin displayed excellent activity against gram positive bacteria, including Clostridium difficile and Bacillus anthracis, by inhibiting peptidoglycan synthesis.
Ling et al. A new antibiotic kills pathogens without detectable resistance. Nature. 2015; 517: 455-459. doi: 10.1038/nature14098.