Unusual images show what the common antibiotic of E. Coli is doing

The method called antibiotics called polymyxins penetrates the bacteria shield has been detected with amazing details through a high -resolution microscope, which can help us develop new treatments for drug -resistant infection.

Polimixens are usually used as a final treatment against some gram -negative bacteria, which can cause infections such as pneumonia, meningitis and typhoid fever. “The three most important pathogens of global health are a gram -negative bacteria, and this is a large reflection of the complex cell circumstance of the cell.” Andrew Edwards At the London Empire.

Around its inner cell, these bacteria contain an external surface layer that contains molecules called fatty sugars, which work like shields. We knew polymexins targeting this outer layer, but how exactly it disrupted it and then killing bacteria was not understood; It was not the reason that the drug was not always working.

Now, Edwards and his colleagues have used vital chemical experiments and the microscope of atomic power-with a large-scale needle on a large scale, creates a picture of a cell by sensing its shape-to reveal that one of two types of two types of polymyxin is used treatment, called Polymyxin B, causing liposine growth to come out on the surface. Cola.

Minutes after the appearance of bumps, bacteria begin to quickly get rid of fatty sugars, which researchers discovered in the solution in which he was.

The researchers say that the presence of antibiotics leads to bacteria to try to put more and more “bricks” of fatty sliced ​​in their defensive wall. But as the bricks add, it also gets rid of some gaps, and leaves the gaps temporarily in its defenses that allow antibiotics to enter and kill them.

Edwards says: “Antibiotics are somewhat similar to the beach that helps these bricks out of the wall,” Edwards says. “The outer membrane does not disintegrate; it does not fall. But there are clear gaps as antibiotics can reach the second membrane.”

He and his colleagues also revealed the reason why antibiotics did not always work: it only affects the bacteria that were active and growing. When bacteria were asleep, a condition that could enter to survive in environmental stress such as nutrient deprivation, polymexin B was ineffective, because he did not produce his armor.

However, the researchers found that providing sugar to Cola The cells woke them from this sleeping condition, and within 15 minutes, the production of shields and the killing of cells resumed. The same thing is expected to apply to other antibiotics for therapeutic polymyxin, polymyxin E.

Edwards says it may be possible to target sleeping bacteria by giving sugars to people, but there are risks to waking these diseases from their inactive condition. He says: “You don’t necessarily want bacteria to start with the site of beating quickly because this has its own negative aspects,” he says. Instead, he adds, it may be possible to combine various medications to overcome the condition of hibernation without waking bacteria.

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