There are many threats to our health and wellbeing, but one of the most serious is antibiotic resistant bacteria.

Humans have been using various types of antibiotics for generations now, and while it has saved many lives, it has also pushed bacteria to evolve to be more resistant to them. This means that when people get sick with certain types of bacterial infections, they need to take more of the drugs, or use stronger antibiotics.

Unfortunately, as this continues, it will eventually get to a point where our most powerful antibiotics won’t be able to kill bacteria, leaving humans vulnerable to many diseases.

In fact, thousands of people already die due to antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria each year already.

So, what is the solution?

Coming up with stronger antibiotic drugs, but that is not as easy as it might seem at first. Fortunately, a recent discovery by a team of doctors may have unlocked an entirely new type of antibiotic that could help protect us long into the future.

The team was based at McMaster University in Ontario and they found a new molecule that could help to create the first new class of antibiotics in over 20 years.

The molecule is called lariocidin and it is a lasso peptide.

The team was able to find this molecule by analyzing bacterium that are in the genus Paenibacillus, which is found in the soil in many places. The team allowed the bacteria to grow for about a year, studying it over the course of time. This means that the new bacteria molecule is slow growing, but it is worth the wait since it is able to kill harmful bacteria using a method that is unlike anything else we have so far.

It binds to the protein synthesis machinery located in the harmful bacteria. When doing this, it prevents the bacteria rom growing, which leads to its death.

In a statement, the lead author of the study, Manoj Jangra said:

“When we figured out how this new molecule kills other bacteria, it was a breakthrough moment.”

While discovering this molecule was a huge step forward, it is just one step in a process that will likely take years.

Professor Gerry Write, who was a senior author of the study, explained:

“The initial discovery – the big a-ha! moment – was astounding for us, but now the real hard work begins. We’re now working on ripping this molecule apart and putting it back together again to make it a better drug candidate.”

While it will undoubtedly take a lot of work to be able to make this helpful bacteria not only effective in humans but also able to grow enough of it to produce an amount that is needed to treat existing and future bacterial threats, it does show a lot of promise.

One of the best things about this option is that since it works differently than other antibiotics, it will be far more difficult for harmful bacteria to evolve to become resistant to it. Also, it seems to be non toxic to human cells, so it is very likely that there will be few, if any, negative side effects to the drug.

This is certainly a point of hope in the ever evolving battle against harmful bacteria.

You can read more about it in the study, which was published in Nature.

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