"A new three-way antibiotic combination appears to be effective at eliminating one of the most notorious of the hospital acquired infections: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). MRSA is a type of S. aureus that has developed resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics (including penicillin.) This means that an infection with this bacterium is hard to treat and with the elderly, young and those with weak immune systems, such an infection can be dangerous.
What is interesting about the finding is that the three antibiotics alone are not effective against the bacterium. However, when they are used in unison they have proved to be extremely effective in laboratory studies. The studies were initially run in test tubes and then confirmed using mice. Human trials are pending.
The synergistically successful combination of antibiotics were triple β-lactam combination meropenem-piperacillin-tazobactam (ME/PI/TZ).
A further piece of good news that it is unlikely that the three drugs will lead to resistance occurring with the bacterium, meaning that the drug combination should last for many years. One problem with current antibiotics, through their overuse, is the rate at which resistance to antimicrobials has taken occurred.
There is hope that the combination will be effective against other microorganisms. With this, lead researcher Gautam Dantas noted in a research note: “We started with MRSA because it’s such a difficult bug to treat. But we are optimistic the same type of approach may work against other deadly pathogens, such as Pseudomonas and certain virulent forms of E. coli.”
The research into the new antibiotic combination was conducted at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The research findings are published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology. The research paper is headed “Synergistic, collaterally sensitive β-lactam combinations suppress resistance in MRSA.”
Tim Sandle, in The Latest News, 17th September 2015
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