Countering Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria and Adaptation to Antibiotic Stress

Saptaparna Dasgupta, Bennett University

Resistant bacteria are a major concern in modern healthcare and pose a severe threat to public health. In today’s health care system, the development of pathogenic species resistant to antibiotics is one of the biggest difficulties. Public health is increasingly being affected by infections produced by multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDR). Originally, these species were only found in hospitals, but now they may be found everywhere. Resistance to antimicrobials in these strains is genetically determined and follows the genetic transfer system like most other organisms. 

Genetic information flow 

The gene flow process from one bacterium to other follows the process which is common in the majority of the other species. DNA which is known as the information carrier passes on the required functional and structural characteristics from one progeny to the other. The DNA undergoes transcription to an intermediate form known as RNA. The RNA is further translated into proteins and other small molecules that are necessary for the functioning of the organism. 

Peptide nucleic acid

PNA, or peptide nucleic acid, is a synthetic RNA that was produced in the Chatterjee Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder to impair this essential bacterial function. To prevent the bacterium from carrying out its function, PNA molecules must attach themselves to the RNA. Due to its excellent match with the RNA of bacteria, this molecule clings to it very firmly and resists destruction. Since the bacteria’s mistake detection mechanisms cannot identify it, it can also prevent the RNA from being translated into proteins and other biologically important molecules, which serves as a problem. Bacteria could potentially die from this obstruction if it is not removed.

PNA therapy

As antibiotics are not specific enough, most antibiotics eliminate both the body’s beneficial bacteria and pathogenic germs. The technique used, on the other hand, creates extremely precise molecules by using noninfectious forms of multidrug-resistant microorganisms (Fig 1.). These PNA therapies may prevent the harm that conventional antibiotics do to the body’s beneficial microorganisms by focusing on the pathogen of interest. Adaptation of bacteria to existing antibiotics, often known as antimicrobial resistance, has been on the rise.

Bacteria versus antibiotics

Natural antibiotics that were identified more than 30 years ago make up the bulk of medicine’s present arsenal of therapies. While bacteria continue to adapt and resist existing therapies, the discovery of novel antibiotics in nature has slowed. Research suggests that bacteria will acquire resistance to new natural antibiotics in as little as 10 years, putting us in the same situation as before. In a post-antibiotic era, when our antibiotic arsenal is no longer effective, other forms of treatments must be investigated. Doctors would no longer have to rely on accidental findings if they used a technology that could target specific germs. They could be continually changed based on resistance patterns. 

Conclusion

A lot more study is required, however, before the most efficient PNA treatments against multidrug-resistant bacteria can be identified. To optimize the success of this type of treatment, testing of novel method on real animals, as our study only examined cell cultures in the lab. Several different forms of infections are being tested on various animal models, as a part of the research by Eller et al. 2021. The bacterial delivery technology can be adapted to probiotic strains so that it may merge with the body’s healthy bacteria population.

Also read: Changes in protein signatures during placental development!

References:

1. Eller, K. A., Aunins, T. R., Courtney, C. M., Campos, J. K., Otoupal, P. B., Erickson, K. E., Madinger, N. E., & Chatterjee, A. (2021). Facile accelerated specific therapeutic (Fast) platform develops antisense therapies to counter multidrug-resistant bacteria. Communications Biology, 4(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-021-01856-1
2. Eller, K., & Conversation, T. (n.d.). New technology can create treatments against drug-resistant bacteria in under a week and adapt to antibiotic resistance. Retrieved 11 August 2021, from https://phys.org/news/2021-08-technology-treatments-drug-resistant-bacteria-week.html
3. Vivas, R., Barbosa, A. A. T., Dolabela, S. S., & Jain, S. (2019). Multidrug-resistant bacteria and alternative methods to control them: An overview. Microbial Drug Resistance, 25(6), 890–908. https://doi.org/10.1089/mdr.2018.0319

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Author Info:

Saptaparna Dasgupta, currently a B. Tech 3^rd year student, pursuing Biotechnology, is a diligent student and determined in terms of her carrier goals. Being a budding biotechnologist, she is open to all research fields of her course and passionate about knowledge. She is focused and constantly tries to improve her writing skills, also a project enthusiast and is fond of gaining the hands-on experience in laboratories. She believes that all hard works and efforts pays off eventually and follows this as the motto of her life.