Scientists identify protein in bacteria with essential role in survival

A team of University of Notre Dame researchers led by Mayland Chang and Shahriar Mobashery have discovered a new class of antibiotics to fight bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other drug-resistant bacteria that threaten public health.

Although a population of bacteria may be genetically identical, individual bacteria within that population can act in radically different ways.

Using quantitative models of bacterial growth, a team of University of California, San Diego biophysicists has discovered the bizarre way by which antibiotic resistance allows bacteria to multiply in the presence of antibiotics, a growing health problem in hospitals and nursing homes across the United States.

In the battle against antibiotic resistant bacteria, McMaster University researchers have found resistance itself is a successful pathway for discovering new antibiotic drugs.