A potent antibiotic for a drug-resistant superbug

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Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) poses a significant threat in hospitals, with a mortality rate of approximately 50% for infected patients. Recognized as a critical pathogen by the World Health Organization and the CDC, CRAB is resistant to most antibiotics, affecting thousands in the U.S. annually. Recent research has identified a new antibiotic, zosurabalpin, which effectively targets A. baumannii by disrupting the transport of a crucial toxin, potentially enhancing treatment options. However, concerns remain about the future emergence of resistant bacteria as new antibiotics are deployed, highlighting the ongoing challenge in combating antibiotic resistance.
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This article from the LA Times caught my attention.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/potent-antibiotic-emerged-battle-against-160058569.html

. . . carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, or CRAB, is a nightmare for hospitals worldwide, as it kills roughly half of all patients who acquire it.

Identified as a top-priority pathogen by both the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CRAB is the most common form of a group of bacteria that are resistant to nearly all available antibiotics. Victims are typically hospitalized patients who are already sick with blood infections or pneumonia. In the U.S. alone, the bug sickens thousands and kills hundreds every year.

Now
researchers have identified a new antibiotic that appears to effectively kill A. baumannii.

The compound, zosurabalpin, attacks bacteria from a novel angle, disrupting the route that a key toxin takes on its journey from inside the bacterial cell to the outer membrane that shields the bug from the immune system’s defensive onslaughts.
 
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The problem, of course, is that once this is in widespread use, the only bacteria left will be resistant.

It is a tough arms race to win.
 
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