Dangerous pathogens made harmless
Dangerous pathogens made harmless
2008-08-26Newsfeed
A breakthrough approach to tackling bacterial infections by crippling harmful pathogens is being developed by scientists.
A breakthrough approach to tackling bacterial infections by crippling harmful pathogens is being developed by scientists.
Unlike conventional antibiotics, the molecule LED209 does not kill the bugs but prevents them from releasing toxins, thus eliminating the threat.
Biochemical signals from the body normally trigger the release of bacterial toxins. Without them, pathogens such as those that cause food poisoning would be harmless.
Scientists at the University of Texas in Dallas tested the molecule on laboratory cultures of Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and the bug Francisella tularensis, which is spread by animals. They also found that it blocked the effects of Salmonella and F. tularensis in mice.
Drugs which act in the same way as LED209 could be effective against at least 25 animal and plant bacteria, including those responsible for Legionnaire's disease and the lung infection bug Haemophilus influenza, say the researchers.
Dr Vanessa Sperandio, who led the team, said: "What we have here is a completely novel approach to combating illness."
The research is published in the online edition of the journal Science.
Copyright © The Press Association 2008
