Medicine Potential weapon against antibiotic resistance also has weaknesses
A Freiburg research team is dampening expectations for a drug to combat antibiotic resistance. The recently developed molecule Xeruborbactam could help against antibiotic resistance in certain bacteria, but not in all, as a new study shows.
05.03.2025, 10:16
SDA
The University of Freiburg (Unifr) announced on Wednesday that the study puts earlier, more optimistic assessments into perspective. Despite this, the university described the molecule as a "stage victory in the fight against antibiotic resistance".
Some bacteria produce protective enzymes, so-called metallo-β-lactamases, to protect themselves against certain antibiotics. This makes antibiotics ineffective against these bacteria. To solve this problem, the pharmaceutical industry has recently developed the molecule xeruborbactam, as Unifr explained. This molecule blocks the effect of the protective enzymes and can thus restore the effect of antibiotics.
"Not yet at the finish line"
The Fribourg researchers have now investigated the effectiveness of this molecule against two resistant bacteria circulating in Switzerland. Escherichia coli, a major cause of urinary tract infections, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which can cause pneumonia. The results were published in the journal "Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy".
The drug was found to be effective against E. coli bacteria. However, according to the researchers, it was significantly less effective against the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa. "These bacteria have an efficient defense mechanism: a kind of pump that not only transports the antibiotics but also the new inhibitor out of the cell before they can reach their targets," explains study leader Laurent Poirel. Contrary to the researchers' expectations, certain strains of this bacterium were even resistant to the effect of the new drug.
"We have not yet reached our goal and the continuous search for even more effective molecules remains crucial," concluded Poirel.
