Study finds weakness in drug-resistant tuberculosis pathogens

A University of Otago-led study has found highly vulnerable weakness in drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis, offering a new way to kill them.

In the study, published in Nature Communications, researchers developed a genetic platform to identify biological pathways in a drug-resistant strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis that are highly sensitive to inhibition.

Senior author Dr. Matthew McNeil, of Otago's Department of Microbiology and Immunology, says the technology enabled them to find the pathogen's weak point, "essentially their Achilles heel".

We were then able to identify drugs that target these weakness and can rapidly kill these drug-resistant strains.

Whilst our work specifically focuses on Mycobacterium tuberculosis – the leading global cause of infectious disease morbidity, overtaking COVID-19 in 2024 – this technology can be applied to other drug-resistant pathogens."

Dr. Matthew McNeil, of Otago's Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Dr. McNeil describes these pathogens as a "major public health problem".

"There are often limited treatment options for people infected with drug-resistant pathogens and there is a very real threat that they could affect the success of many otherwise standard medical procedures."

He believes novel developments, such as those in this study, are needed to deal with them.

"New treatment strategies are needed that can not only rapidly kill these pathogens but prevent them from occurring in the first place.

"Drug-resistant infections are scary, but if we think outside the box when it comes to designing new drugs, there are ways in which we can find actionable solutions to stop this problem."

Source:
Journal reference:

Wang, X., et al. (2024). Whole genome CRISPRi screening identifies druggable vulnerabilities in an isoniazid resistant strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Nature Communications. doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54072-w.

Comments

The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of News Medical.
Post a new comment
Post

While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for medical information you must always consult a medical professional before acting on any information provided.

Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles.

Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

Read the full Terms & Conditions.

You might also like...
TB pathogen's surprising growth mechanism challenges bacterial biology