New way to make bacteria more sensitive to antibiotics discovered

Date:
August 12, 2020
Source:
Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART)
Summary:
Researchers have discovered a new way to reverse antibiotic
resistance in some bacteria using hydrogen sulphide (H2S). By
adding H2S releasing compounds to Acinetobacter baumannii - a
pathogenic bacteria that does not produce H2S on its own - they
found that exogenous H2S sensitised the A. baumannii to multiple
antibiotic classes. It was even able to reverse acquired resistance
in A. baumannii to gentamicin.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Researchers from Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology
(SMART), MIT's research enterprise in Singapore, have discovered a new
way to reverse antibiotic resistance in some bacteria using hydrogen
sulphide (H2S).


========================================================================== Growing antimicrobial resistance is a major threat for the world with a projected 10 million deaths each year by 2050 if no action is taken. The
World Health Organisation also warns that by 2030, drug-resistant
diseases could force up to 24 million people into extreme poverty and
cause catastrophic damage to the world economy.

In most bacteria studied, the production of endogenous H2S has been
shown to cause antibiotic tolerance, so H2S has been speculated as a
universal defence mechanism in bacteria against antibiotics.

A team at SMART's Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Interdisciplinary
Research Group (IRG) tested that theory by adding H2S releasing
compounds to Acinetobacter baumannii -- a pathogenic bacteria that
does not produce H2S on its own. They found that rather than causing
antibiotic tolerance, exogenous H2S sensitised the A. baumannii to
multiple antibiotic classes. It was even able to reverse acquired
resistance in A. baumannii to gentamicin, a very common antibiotic used
to treat several types of infections.

The results of their study, supported by the Singapore National Medical Research Council's Young Investigator Grant, are discussed in a paper
titled "Hydrogen sulfide sensitizes Acinetobacter baumannii to killing
by antibiotics" published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology.

"Until now, hydrogen sulfide was regarded as a universal bacterial defense against antibiotics," says Dr Wilfried Moreira, the corresponding author
of the paper and Principal Investigator at SMART's AMR IRG. "This is a
very exciting discovery because we are the first to show that H2S can,
in fact, improve sensitivity to antibiotics and even reverse antibiotic resistance in bacteria that do not naturally produce the agent."
While the study focused on the effects of exogenous H2S on A. baumannii,
the scientists believe the results will be mimicked in all bacteria that
do not naturally produce H2S.

"Acinetobacter baumannii is a critically important antibiotic-resistant pathogen that poses a huge threat to human health," says Say Yong Ng,
lead author of the paper and Laboratory Technologist at SMART AMR. "Our research has found a way to make the deadly bacteria and others like
it more sensitive to antibiotics, and can provide a breakthrough in
treating many drug-resistant infections." The team plans to conduct
further studies to validate these exciting findings in pre-clinical
models of infection, as well as extending them to other bacteria that
do not produce H2S.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Singapore-MIT_Alliance_for_Research_and_Technology_ (SMART). Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Say Yong Ng, Kai Xun Ong, Smitha Thamarath Surendran, Ameya
Sinha, Joey
Jia Hui Lai, Jacqueline Chen, Jiaqi Liang, Leona Kwan Sing Tay,
Liang Cui, Hooi Linn Loo, Peiying Ho, Jongyoon Han, Wilfried
Moreira. Hydrogen Sulfide Sensitizes Acinetobacter baumannii to
Killing by Antibiotics.

Frontiers in Microbiology, 2020; 11 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01875 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200812115250.htm

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