E.Coli Can Kill Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria
E.Coli Can Kill Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria – Researchers have found that E.Coli bacteria can be used to create an antibiotic to kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria lives in the intestines of humans and nimals, and most strains are harmeless. However, there are some strains, such as E. coli O157:H7, that can cause severe abdominal cramps, bloody diarrhea and vomiting. Eating contaminated food like raw vegetabes or undercooked meat can sicken people, and some may even experience potentially fatal kidney failure.
Dr. Blaine Pfeifer, lead study author and associate professor of chemical and biological engineering at the University at Buffalo School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, has been experimenting with E.Coli for a decade. He and his team have used the bacteria to grow new forms of the popular antibiotic erythromycin that have a different structure from existing versions. Three of the new varieties were effective in killing the bacteria Bacillus subtilis, which was resistant to the original form of erythromycin.
Researchers grew the antiobiotic by transplanting more than 20 enzymes into E. coli and combining chemical compounds called metabolic precursors to produce the original erythromycin compound. They say that they have used the safe strains of E.Coli to do this. According to them, this new form of erythromycin may be effective against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. They plan to conduct clinical trials soon.
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