Due to the intensive use of antibiotics, bacteria are constantly evolving new defense methods to protect themselves, sometimes reaching complete resistance. Faced with these bacteria, treatments are less and less effective, leaving a large number of patients without therapeutic options. Every year, this resistance to antibiotics is directly responsible for 1.3 million deaths worldwide.
“Multi-resistant” strains are particularly problematic because they develop resistance to several groups of antibiotics. This is mainly the case for Gram-negative bacteria, including Acinetobacter baumannii, which is mainly present in hospital environments. This bacteria can cause infections such as pneumonia, meningitis and urinary tract infections. Recognized as a serious threat by the WHO, it is one of the “ESKAPE” pathogens which effectively escape the action of antimicrobial agents.
A new class of antibiotics has demonstrated encouraging results against antibiotic-resistant bacteria in preliminary studies. However, the substance developed by researchers from the Roche group in Basel is still far from common use.
According to the study published in the specialist journal Nature, the new substance developed, called zosurabalpin, was effective in the laboratory and in mice againstAcinetobacter baumannii.
“A new class of antibiotics capable of treating infections caused by multi-drug resistant bacteria like Acinetobacter baumannii (…) would represent a significant advance,” he told Keystone-ATS Michael Lobritz, from Roche, who participated in the study. However, further studies will be necessary to confirm whether zosurabalpin will allow this advancement.
 Sophie de Duiéry
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04/01/2024 | 
