The antibiotic that the articles are discussing is the Teixobactin. It took three decades before a new antibiotic was discovered.
There are several challenges faced by medical personnel in treating infections. One of these is that 99 percent of bacteria do not grow inside the laboratory conditions. Since most antibiotics grow in soil, there is a need to create a “subterranean hotel” inside the laboratory. Another challenge faced by medical personnel in treating infections is that some microbes have become resistant to almost all medicines. Furthermore, before an antibiotic is considered effective, it should first be tested on humans. One other challenge is that after developing an antibiotic, it usually takes decades before a bacteria will develop ways of beating the new antibiotic, that is, there is a delay in the resistance.
The procedure used in developing the antibiotic was done through the use of an iChip, a board with several holes in it. Each sealed pod is filled with one soil bacterium and then the whole chip is buried in soil. From the soil microorganism, the antibiotic Teixobactin was produced. Verification of the results was done by exposing the microbes to low levels of Teixobactin. Results showed that no resistant strains evolved. The experiments revealed the Teixobactin withholds two molecules, namely Lipid II and Lipid III, which are both needed to make thick walls around the cells. What Teixobactin does is it breaks down the walls which are no longer rebuilt.
The bacterial infections where Teixobactin is deemed effective are the bacteria in anthrax, tuberculosis and Clostridium difficile, the bacteria which causes severe diarrhea . In animal studies, Teixobactin was also found to be effective against the bacteria MRSA, streptococcus, enterococcus and staphylococcus.
Works Cited
Gallagher, James. Antibiotics: US discovery labelled 'game-changer' for medicine. 7 January 2015. Web. 23 March 2016.
Yong, Ed. A new antibiotic that resists resistance. 7 January 2015. Web. 23 March 2016.
