New Hope for Conquering the “Super Bacteria”

Recently, a variation of gonorrhea bacteria has appeared in Japan, which is the serious consequence of people’s abuse in antibiotics. It’s reported the bacteria can resist all existing antibiotics. However, a debated topic about the new hope for conquering the “super bacteria” has raised increasing attention in public. Some scientists think polypeptide antibiotic is espected to solve this problem, while others against the idea by saying that such antibiotic will lead to some serious side effects.

bacteriaOver the past seven decades, medical community is professional in treating gonorrhea, from penicillin, tetracycline ciprofloxacin to current new drugs. However, these drugs cannot play a fundamental function in the super bacteria any more. This is the consequence of the abuse of antibiotics. Whereas, it does not mean that human beings are baffled. Nowadays, many scientists are actively developing new antibiotics and hope to reduce bacterial resistance through a variety of methods like polypeptide antibiotic.

The fact enables peptide drugs become the new darling of the medical market. It makes use of some small molecules under genetic engineering technology, trying to represent the developmental direction of future antibiotics. In addition, most existing antibiotics are required for reproduction in key metabolic pathways for targets so the pathogen should be in the effective period. Polypeptide antibiotic is effective in metabolic activity and its unique mode of action hasn’t yet produced resistance problems, which means polypeptide antibiotic can remove the pathogens safely and effectively, as well as minimizing or even eliminating the risk of drug resistance.

Since a long time, pharmaceutical companies have tried to explore some new methods of antibiotics without drug resistance. And in recent years, they have drawn a bacterial gene map to find new drug targets. Based on the efforts, they have found the anti-infective peptides are potential against bacteria. At the same time, the rapid development of genetic engineering technology also makes it possible for more peptides researches. In fact, in terms of current reality of antibiotics, the first-line antibiotic for gonorrhea treatment has already generated drug resistance, so people are worried no drugs can cure this disease in the future. Maybe the “new hope” can be helpful.