Scientists have released new images showing incredible details, antibiotics, defeating bacteria that cause the disease, piercing the membranes of microbes and penetrated into their insides.
Antibiotics, called polymixins, were discovered, forced armored membranes around They demonstrated the cold Bacterial cells to increase blows and bulges. Then the bacteria dropped their external membranes, leaving space for an antibiotic to enter the cells.
Gram -negative bacteria are a wide class of microorganisms that have two membranes surrounding each cell; Two sandwich membranes with a cell wall. E. KolyaIN SalmonellaAnd Shigella -The bacteria, which causes dysentery-all are examples of gram-negative bacteria.
Polymixins can help treat infections caused by gram -negative bacteria that received resistance to other antibiotic drugs; They work, aiming at the outer part of the two membranes of bacteria, which act as a kind of armor that holds antibiotics. But it is precisely how antibiotics slip past this armor is not entirely clear.
“Polymixins are an important line of protection against gram -negative bacteria that cause many deadly infections that are resistant to drugs”, co -author of the study Bart GogogenbumBiophysicist in UCL said in a statement. “It is important that we understand how they work.”
The new study published on September 29 in the journal Natural microbiologyThe team of researchers captured the images of the antibiotic in action. Using a technique known as atomic power microscopy, scientists held a tiny needle back and forth according to bacteria to outline their forms. This allowed them to see how bacteria changed when Polymixin attacked.
Polymixins are forced E. Kolya The team found that for the rapid cultivation of tiny blows and protrusions on its outer membrane. As these strokes grow, the bacteria dropped the armor, leaving the gaps in this external membrane through which antibiotics can enter and kill the cage.
“Our images of bacteria directly show how much polymixins can jeopardize bacterial armor,” said Borrelli. “As if the cell is forced to produce“ bricks ”for its outer wall with such a speed that this wall is disturbed, allowing the antibiotic to penetrate.”
It is important to note that polymixins can only aim on bacteria that are actively growing, and not on those that are inaction. Bacteria sometimes enter a state of rest in order to cope with difficult conditions, survival, without food, growth or reproduction, only to wake up when the conditions are more favorable. Being inactive, bacteria cannot grow their external membrane armor, so the antibiotic cannot increase products in the same way as in the actively growing bacteria.
“Our next task is to use these results to make antibiotics more effective,” said Hoogenboom. “One of the strategies may be a combination of treatment with polymixin – contradictory – with treatment that contribute to the production of armor and/or awaken sleep bacteria so that these cells can also be eliminated.”
This article is intended only for information purposes and is not intended for the provision of medical councils.
