A mold from the Aspergillus family (top) produces a compound called aspergillomarasmine A (bottom) that could help in the fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. (Photo credit: Andrew King. Diagram: Gerry Wright)
A chemical extracted from a fungus could help maintain the effectiveness of key antibiotics.
In a new study, a fungal extract called aspergillomarasmine A was shown to inhibit NDM-1 and restore the effectiveness of carbapenems against certain bacteria in lab studies.
Carbapenems are considered to be ‘antibiotics of last resort’ for many infections due to the fact that relatively few bacteria have evolved resistance to them. Yet in recent years, some ‘superbugs’ have evolved an enzyme – known as NDM-1 – capable of destroying the carbapenems before the drugs kill them; this makes the infections virtually unstoppable.
Original research paper published in the journal Nature on June 25, 2014.
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