Researchers discover antibiotic to cure hospital-acquired infection
The World Health Organization (WHO) has acknowledged AMR as a complex-global public health problem and highlighted the need for a multipronged strategy
Pune: Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) often become a point of concern in the medical field as it causes serious health impacts on patient’s health. There are limitations when it comes to treating HAI. However, a recently discovered antibiotic is found effective in treating Acinetobacter baumannii, which frequently causes HAI, stated a report published in the March 2023 edition of Microbiology Spectrum, American Society for Microbiology Journal.
The antibiotic was discovered jointly by researchers of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Pune, and Council of Scientific & Industrial Research-Central Drug Research Institute (CSIR-CDRI), Lucknow.
According to the report, about 1 in 10 people admitted to hospital contact with a hospital-acquired infection. The HAI also leads to morbidity, mortality, and an increase in treatment costs. The unrelenting rise in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is rendering the current arsenal of antibiotics ineffective in treating infections caused by drug-resistant pathogens, thus leading to increased death and disability worldwide. It has been projected that, at this rate, treating even routine infections will be challenging in the coming decades. The World Health Organization (WHO) has acknowledged AMR as a complex-global public health problem and highlighted the need for a multipronged strategy.
A baumannii, which causes a range of infections including pneumonia, meningitis, wound and surgical site infections, and urinary tract infections, is extremely challenging to treat, with outbreaks especially common among critically ill and immunocompromised populations, and is compounded by rampant multidrug resistance (MDR) with rapidly declining treatment options. However, the discovery of novel antibiotics targeting multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens such as A. baumannii, top on the critical priority list released by the WHO, has proven effective to treat such pathogens.
Speaking about this discovery, Prof Harinath Chakrapani, the lead researcher and professor for organic chemistry, drug discovery, nitric oxide prodrugs at IISER, Pune said, “Hospital-acquired infection is very crucial and there are many limitations when it comes to treating the infection. These infections mainly happen in case of severe burn injuries which our service personnel often face. Apart from that, serious wounds, infectious diseases like pneumonia and others can also cause HAI. Researchers from two laboratories from IISER, Pune, and one from CSIR-CDRI participated in a project to address the issue.”
“As of now, the antibiotic was mainly used on animal models. In the experiment conducted on mice, we injected them with a disease that we get and then tried the discovered drug on them. The drug was found very effective in reducing bacterial burden in those animals. We plan further trials. Several other studies will be conducted before going ahead with human trials,” he said.
“Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MDR-AB) is an important cause of HAI. Antimicrobial resistance is a silent pandemic at present. A novel potent molecule against Carbapenem-Resistant AB (CRAB), a critical priority pathogen by WHO, will be a boon to the medical fraternity. We are looking forward see its use in clinical practice,” said Dr Rajesh Karyakarte, professor and head, department of microbiology, BJ Government Medical College, Pune.
