New technique in which drugs make bacteria glow could help fight
antibiotic resistance

Date:
July 2, 2020
Source:
University of Exeter
Summary:
A new technique could help reduce antibiotic prescribing by
predicting which drugs could be effective in fighting bacteria
within minutes.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
New technique in which drugs make bacteria glow could help fight
antibiotic resistance.


==========================================================================
A new technique could help reduce antibiotic prescribing by predicting
which drugs could be effective in fighting bacteria within minutes.

Scientists at the University of Exeter have developed the method,
which allows users to see whether a bacterium is likely to respond to antibiotics. The research is currently in early stages of development,
and the team hope the miniaturised devices they use for this research
could one day be based in clinics, reducing the number of different
antibiotics prescribed to patients.

The technique works by examining whether fluorescent qualities of the antibiotics are taken up by bacteria. If so, the bacteria glow brighter
under the microscope, revealing that the antibiotic has infiltrated the membrane and could be effective. The research, published in the journal
Lab on a Chip, could contribute to efforts to reduce prescribing, and
also enable the development of more effective antibiotics, to help fight
the global threat of antibiotic resistance.

Antibiotic resistance is recognised as a major global threat. As these
drugs increasingly fail to work, around 10 million people are predicted
to die annually of infections by 2050.

The new technique uses a special microscope and a miniaturised device into which a sample of the bacteria is injected, along with the antibiotic. To
date, the team has used the antibiotic ofloxacin, which glows fluorescent
under ultraviolet light. Bacteria also glow when the antibiotic is taken
up. However, if they remain dark, the antibiotic has no chance of working
and killing the bacteria.

Dr Stefano Pagliara, a biophysicist in the Living Systems Institute,
leading this research at the University of Exeter, said: "We're really
excited about the potential for this technique to make a meaningful
reduction in prescribing, helping to fight the global threat of antibiotic resistance. At the moment, it can take days for clinicians to get a
lab result, which involves growing bacteria, but there is still some
guess work involved. Our technique could reduce the use of multiple
antibiotics to try and fight a bacterial infection." Dr Jehangir
Cama, an industry research fellow at the Living Systems Institute, who performed the experimental work of this research, said: "Our next step
is to further develop this exciting new method by combining it with more advanced microscopy techniques, to see where exactly the antibiotics go
when they enter the bacteria." The team is now working on expanding the technique, by manipulating the fluorescent qualities of other forms of antibiotics so they can work in the same way. Further research in this
area has been funded by QUEX, a partnership between the University of
Exeter and The University of Queensland in Australia.

The Queensland team, led by Dr Mark Blaskovich, Director of the Centre
for Superbug Solutions at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience,
is developing fluorescent versions of other antibiotics so they can
be tested in a similar manner. Blaskovich adds "I am enthused about the opportunities to improve our fundamental understanding of the interactions between antibiotics and bacteria and how this leads to antimicrobial resistance, by combining our novel antibiotic-derived probes with the
cutting edge single cell analysis capabilities of the Exeter group."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Exeter. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Jehangir Cama, Margaritis Voliotis, Jeremy Metz, Ashley Smith, Jari
Iannucci, Ulrich F. Keyser, Krasimira Tsaneva-Atanasova,
Stefano Pagliara. Single-cell microfluidics facilitates the
rapid quantification of antibiotic accumulation in Gram-negative
bacteria. Lab on a Chip, 2020; DOI: 10.1039/D0LC00242A ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200702144729.htm

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