Researchers at the University of Central Florida are refining a powerful therapy to counter drug-resistant bacteria.
The research in question found that an “antimicrobial peptide naturally found in cows weakens the biofilm defenses of Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria and destroys it.” Nearly 80% of bacterial infections treated in the researchers’ clinic are “bacteria living in a biofilm state, which makes them resistant to virtually every antibiotic available.”
The results of their research “represent a critical step to potentially applying this peptide as a therapy and eventually treating patients, as the findings show they can and kill biofilm-embedded bacteria in animal models.”
K. pneumoniae is “usually harmless,” but the bacterium can develop resistance over a person’s lifetime if they’re exposed to antibiotics. It can also spread from the intestine, where it is found, to other parts of the body in “immunocompromised patients and those who have internal ruptures or exposure to contaminated medical devices. That exposure can lead to pneumonia, urinary tract or wound infections.”
The research team found that “the genetics of a specific protein in the bacterium when turned on in the germ causes it to break from its own protective biofilm. The peptide, in effect, damages the protection and then stresses the bacterium into shedding its protection, making the germ more sensitive to antibiotics and the body’s immune system.” They envision “long-term applications could involve a topical cream that weakens the bacteria’s defenses and allows standard antibiotics to work more effectively.”
