Discovery of new antibiotics with strong ability to kill drug-resistant bacteria

A group of scientists in the US and Switzerland has just developed a new antibiotic that can effectively kill the bacteria Acinetobacter baumannii , also known as CRAB , which is highly drug resistant and causes high mortality rates in patient.

Antibiotic resistance is increasing. (Illustration photo: AFP/TTXVN).

According to research by a group of scientists from Harvard University (USA) and health care company Hoffmann-La Roche (Switzerland), the new antibiotic, zosurabalpin, proved to be effective in killing more than 100 disease samples. The product is clinically tested. The antibiotic significantly reduced bacterial levels in mice with CRAB-induced pneumonia and also prevented death in mice with sepsis caused by the bacteria, the researchers said.

Dr. Kenneth Bradley, head of global infectious disease research at Hoffmann-La Roche, said zosurabalpine is a new approach, both in terms of the compound as well as the mechanism of killing bacteria. The authors note that the drug zosurabalpine is in phase I clinical trials to evaluate safety, tolerability, as well as pharmacological effects in humans.

CRAB is a type of bacteria classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as 'extremely dangerous' , capable of seriously threatening human health. According to WHO, this bacteria is extremely resistant to antibiotics and is resistant to many existing treatments. Therefore, for more than 50 years, the US Food and Drug Administration has not been able to license any new antibiotics that can kill CRAB.

This bacteria can survive for long periods of time on shared equipment. They can be spread through human hands, through normal contact. In addition to causing infectious blood diseases, CRAB also causes diseases in the lungs and urinary tract.

CRAB is a big threat to hospitals, nursing homes and patients who are dependent on ventilators and dialysis machines. They are also dangerous for people with open wounds after surgery. Statistics show that 20% of patients in intensive care units around the world are infected with this bacteria.