14 DAY TRIAL // A new study by researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem was recently able to determine a number of mechanisms that some bacteria use to become immune to the effects of antibiotics. Studying this phenomenon is important because antibiotic-resistant bacteria can easily kill people.
In hospital settings, organisms such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) thrive in respirators and tools used to sterilize medical equipment. Finding new ways to control its evolution and spread patterns could save thousands of lives each year. And MRSA is just one example of such a bacteria, Science Daily reports.
The toxin HipA was found to play an important role in resistance. The team found that bacteria produce this molecule when attacked by antibiotics. HipA then produces a hunger signals that some cells called persistent bacteria interpret as a lack of food, which makes them enter a dormant state.
Bacteria in dormant states are invulnerable to antibiotics, but they can reawaken once the danger has passed. By acting on this system, researchers hope to soon be able to stop the spread of antibiotics-resistant bacteria, by killing both active and dormant pathogen cells.