It was a peaceful Sunday morning, gentle readers. And we should have been scouring the media to bring you more stories of advances in the struggle against microbial antibiotic resistance. We even read the Observer, which is kind of like the Guardian‘s Sunday sister. So how did we miss this one by Robin McKie, their estimable and most learned science supremo?
It’s all about a bacteria called Xanthomonas albinecus, which can cause havoc to the growers of sugar cane. But the little creature carries a secret which could be of incalculable benefit: Albicidin[1] A substance which killes bacteria with deadly force by acting as a DNA gyrase inhibitor. Alright, we know tht last phrase doesn’t trip off everyone’s tongue. But get this from your labroots link: [2]
this plant pathogen inhibits DNA gyrase and prevents bacterial DNA replication, since DNA gyrase enzymes are present in bacteria but not humans.1,3
Yes, unlike Brexit, this time it really does look as if we can have our cake and eat it. The potential to develop this method as it is, then augment it with genetic engineering, could be enormous.
When we started our original Facebook page back in far off 2015, with the sole aim of promoting antibiotics research, the situation looked bleak indeed. But as avid readers, who had the public-spiritedness to follow us into this blog will have observed, things now look much much better. Thanks to the efforts of people like Professor Colin Garner and his doughty champions at antibiotics research UK[3],journalists like Robin and many others around the world, there has been real progress. We could spend lines on hackneyed metaphors about lights, tunnels, woods, trees, cups and lips. But we’ll spare you that. Provided that you promise to keep donating, pushing your politicos and spreading the word in every conversation in the pub/supermarket/cafe/waiting room and wherever else you can. How’s that for a deal?
[2]https://www.labroots.com/trending/drug-discovery-and-development/24547/introducing-plant-toxin-antibiotic-albicidin#:~:text=Albicidin%20is%20a%20peptide%20antibio
[3]https://www.antibioticresearch.org.uk/
#robin mckie #antibiotics #albicidin #bacteria #antibiotic resistance #medicine
Learning, Science and Society 