Tag Archives: staphylococcus

Vitamin B3 fights MRSA

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Vitamin B3 could be the new weapon in the fight against superbugs such as MRSA, researchers have suggested.

US experts found B3, also known as nicotinamide, boosts the ability of immune cells to kill Staphylococcus bacteria.

B3 increases the numbers and efficacy of neutrophils, white blood cells that can kill and eat harmful bugs.

The study, in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, could lead to a “major change in treatment”, a UK expert said.

B3 was tested on Staphylococcal infections, such as the potentially fatal MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).

Such infections are found in hospitals and nursing homes, but are also on the rise in prisons, the military and among athletes.

The scientists used extremely high doses of B3 – far higher than that obtained from dietary sources – in their tests, carried out both on animals and on human blood.

And the researchers say there is as yet no evidence that dietary B3 or supplements could prevent or treat bacterial infections.

MRSA

MRSA

The researchers say B3 appears to be able to “turn on” certain antimicrobial genes, boosting the immune cells’ killing power.

Prof Adrian Gombart, of Oregon State University’s Linus Pauling Institute, who worked on the research, said: “This is potentially very significant, although we still need to do human studies.

“Antibiotics are wonder drugs, but they face increasing problems with resistance by various types of bacteria, especially Staphylococcus aureus.


“This could give us a new way to treat Staph infections that can be deadly, and might be used in combination with current antibiotics.

“It’s a way to tap into the power of the innate immune system and stimulate it to provide a more powerful and natural immune response.”

Prof Mark Enright, of the University of Bath, said: “Neutrophils are really the front line against infections in the blood and the use of nicotinamide seems safe at this dose to use in patients as it is already licensed for use.

“This could cause a major change in treatment for infections alongside conventional antibiotics to help bolster patients immune system.

“I would like to see in patient clinical trials but cannot see why this couldn’t be used straight away in infected patients.”

New compound to fight superbugs

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Chemists at the North Carolina State University have created a compound that makes existing antibiotics 16 times more effective against recently discovered antibiotic-resistant “superbugs.”

These so-called superbugs are actually bacterial strains that produce an enzyme known as New Delhi metallo-ß-lactamase (NDM-1).

Bacteria that produce this enzyme are practically impervious to antibiotics because NDM-1renders certain antibiotics unable to bind with their bacterial targets. Since NDM-1 is found in Gram-negative bacteria like K. pneumoniae, which causes pneumonia, urinary tract, and other common hospital-acquired infections, it is of particular concern.

“To begin with, there are fewer antibiotic options for treating infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria than for those caused by Gram-positive bacteria,” said Dr. Roberta Worthington, NC State research assistant professor of chemistry.

“Gram-negative bacteria with the NDM-1 enzyme effectively neutralize the few weapons we have in our arsenal, making them especially difficult, if not impossible, to treat with existing antibiotic therapy,” he explained.

MRSA

MRSA

Previously, NC State chemist Dr. Christian Melander had found that a compound derived from a class of molecules known as 2-aminoimidazoles “recharged” existing antibiotics, making them effective against Gram-positive antibiotic-resistant bacteria like the Staphylococcus strain MRSA.


So Melander, Worthington and graduate students Cynthia Bunders and Catherine Reed set to work on a variety of the compound that might prove similarly effective against their Gram-negative brethren.

Worthington and Melander have now described a compound that, when used in conjunction with the antibiotic imipenem, increased the antibiotic’s effectiveness against the antibiotic-resistant K. pneumoniae 16-fold. The researchers believe that these early results are very promising for future treatments.

“We’ve demonstrated that we have the ability to take out the scariest superbug out there. Hopefully further research will allow us to make the compound even more effective, and make these infections little more than a nuisance,” Melander claimed.