New Study Reveals Peptide That May Fight Drug-Resistant Bacteria

(Newswire.net — June 21, 2021) Orlando, FL — By 2050, it is projected that drug-resistant bacteria could produce more deaths than cancer. This is according to a report commissioned by the United Kingdom in 2014 and jointly supported by the U.K. government and the Wellcome Trust. 

Infections have actually been found to cause roughly 10 million deaths around the globe. This is why experts continue to carry out studies to stop it. 

A researcher from the Penn State University, Scott Medina, carried out a study. In this research, he was able to develop a small protein or peptide that targets a certain pathogen without damaging good bacteria, which bolsters the immune system.

Medina is an assistant professor of biomedical engineering.

The findings of this research were published in Nature Biomedical Engineering.

“One of the best protective mechanisms we have to prevent infection are beneficial bacteria that inhabit our bodies, known as commensals,” Medina said. 

“For example, we often avoid food poisoning because our guts are already populated by helpful bacteria. There’s no room for the pathogen to take hold and colonize. If you wipe out the good bacteria, opportunistic pathogens can take advantage and cause infections,” he adds.

For infections like urinary tract infections, antibiotics are used as a treatment. This medication works in killing the bad bacteria that trigger infection. However, it also ends up destroying the good bacteria. 

When this happens, this creates another opportunity for a fatal secondary infection. It is also important to keep in mind that repeated antibiotic exposure may breed bacteria resistant to drugs. 

The first author of the paper is biomedical engineering doctoral student Andrew W. Simonson. Together with the team, he set out to develop a peptide that could eliminate the pathogen that causes tuberculosis (TB), one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide, without harming surrounding good bacteria.

More studies are still being carried out to look into the impacts of antibiotics on various aspects of health. However, it still remains true that its use is linked with side effects. This is why today, experts are increasingly taking measures to help people reduce the use of antibiotics.

UTIs are behind the skyrocketing demand for and use of this medication. It is worth noting that in reducing the risk of this infection, it could be helpful to consume a lot of water. This is vital in flushing E.coli bacteria out of the body.

There are also UTI preventive remedies like D-mannose that may be useful. D-mannose is a therapeutic sugar that can be found in cranberry. It can be obtained through the use of supplements like Divine Bounty D-mannose.

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