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To fight a pathogen that's highly resistant to antibiotics, first understand how it gets that way.
Klebsiella pneumoniae strains that carry a particular enzyme are known for "their ability to survive any antibiotics you throw at them," said Corey Hudson of Sandia National Laboratories in California.
Using Sandia's genome sequencing capabilities, Hudson and colleagues Robert Meagher and Kelly Williams, along with former postdoctoral employee Zach Bent, identified several mechanisms that bacteria use to share genes and expand their antibiotic resistance. They found that in some cases, bacteria can receive a new set of genes all at once and in the process become pathogenic.
To better understand how the process works, they focused on the large mobile DNAs, such as plasmids, which exist as free DNA circles apart from the bacterial chromosome, and genomic islands, which can splice themselves into the chromosome. These mobile DNAs are major mechanisms for evolution in organisms that lack a true nucleus. Genomic islands and plasmids carry genes that contribute to everything from metabolism to pathogenicity, and move whole clusters of genes all at once between species.
Identifying how genomic islands move and their effect on bacterial physiology could lead to new approaches to bypass bacterial defenses, Hudson said.
Eventually, the effort might lead to a way to predict new pathogens before they emerge as public health threats.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 20 2015, @12:40PM
Stool transplant is about putting good bacteria in a place where you need them. Here, it's about fighting pathogens.
To make an analogy, stool transplant is like employing people to work for your company. Your suggestion is to stop fighting people who attack your company.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 20 2015, @01:00PM
The suggestion is to allow a huge Mexican immigration in California to get rid of the hipsters that water their lawn in spite of draught, instead of nuking California from orbit.
Ask Ethanol-Fuelled in case this doesn't make sense to you.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 20 2015, @01:26PM
The type of bacteria a responsible doctor fights with antibiotics isn't the analogue of hipsters watering their lawns during a drought.
True, too many doctors subscribe antibiotics when they shouldn't. But that a weapon is used where it is not appropriate doesn't mean we should stop its research/development. To take up on your analogy: If the Russians start a nuclear attack, opening the borders to Mexico won't help you.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Monday July 20 2015, @01:51PM
"opening the borders to Mexico won't help you."
How in hell do you open a border that is already open? DERP!
As for a large number of Mexicans in the event of a Russian attack - it just might help us. Mexico sat out of the last two big wars. In fact, I can't think of any wars that Mexico has fought, other than civil wars like the current "War on Drugs". Now, if boatloads of Mexican nationals are killed off by an aggressive Russia - Mexico just might join in the war, instead of exploiting the absence of able bodied men in the United States.
BTW - Russia ain't attacking any time soon, despite the fact that the Cock brothers and other capitalists are stirring up trouble on Russia's borders.