Scientists analyzing the effects of an organic compound on drug resistantbacteria have discovered how it can kill a germ that can cause serious illness or even death.
Infections in the blood, lungs, and other parts of the body can be caused by a type ofbacteria called Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Hydroquinine, an organic compound found in the bark of some trees, has been found to havebactericidal activity against the germ and several other importantbacteria.
The team behind the discovery, from the University of Portsmouth and Naresuan and Pibulsongkram Rajabhat Universities in Thailand, studied the responses of the strains to hydroquinine. They looked at which genes were switched on and which were turned off when the drug was used.
A new study shows that hydroquinine alters the expression levels of virulence factors. The compound may interfere with the movement of thebacteria.
There are a lot of antibiotics that don't work on the bacterium. The formation of biofilm and the swimming of the germ were greatly reduced.
It is possible to combine this drug with other antibiotics to make them more effective if we know that it is working in a unique way.
35,000 deaths are caused by drug-resistantbacteria every year. It is difficult to treat infections due to antimicrobial resistance.
Aeruginosa have become resistant to antibiotics. In the Netherlands, hydroquinine is being used to treat nocturnal muscle pains. It has not been investigated into its drug-resistant properties.
An organic compound has the potential to be used as an effective weapon in the fight against antimicrobial resistance which is one of the greatest threats to public health around the world.
We need to understand why some germs aren't affected by the compound and how it works against other strains.
More information: Nontaporn Rattanachak et al, High-Throughput Transcriptomic Profiling Reveals the Inhibitory Effect of Hydroquinine on Virulence Factors in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Antibiotics (2022). DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11101436
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