Antibiotic resistance is a major global health threat. Bacteria are becoming increasingly antibiotic-resistant, making it difficult to treat infections. This is a serious problem, as infections that were once easily treatable can now be deadly.
5PSeq is a rapid and accurate method for assessing bacterial response to antibiotics. It could be used to quickly identify which antibiotics are effective against a particular strain of bacteria.
This could help doctors to choose the right antibiotic for their patients and reduce the spread of antibiotic resistance.
The development of 5PSeq is a significant step forward in the fight against antibiotic resistance. This new method can potentially revolutionize how we treat bacterial infections.
“We are confident and hope that this can be one of many tools that doctors need to tackle antibiotic resistance, which is a serious and growing problem.” said principal investigator Vicent Pelechano, associate professor at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet.
Researchers have developed a rapid molecular test to detect antibiotic resistance in bacteria. The test was tested on 96 bacterial species from different phyla in complex clinical samples. The results were available in minutes, and the effect of antibiotic treatment was most salient after about half an hour.
The researchers have started a company, 3N Bio, to develop the method and create a rapid molecular test for clinical use. They have received financing from the Swedish Research Council to demonstrate proof of concept for such a test. Developing this rapid test could help improve the diagnosis and treatment of bacterial infections.
Dr. Pelechano said, “It’s crucial that doctors can quickly find the right antibiotics for seriously ill patients with bacterial infections to reduce the unnecessary use of antibiotics, Current methods of testing antibiotic resistance can take hours or even days, but often treatment needs to be given more promptly than that to avoid serious consequences for the patient. Because of this, a broad-spectrum antibiotic is often prescribed, which increases the risk of resistance.”
A new method has been developed that can be used to examine how bacteria interact with each other and with their hosts. The method can also be used to measure antibiotic resistance. The researchers will continue to study complex gut samples to examine how the bacterial communities interact in our gut and contribute to health and disease.
The research was financed by several organizations, including the Ragnar Söderbergs foundation, the Swedish Research Council, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, EU’s Horizon 2020, and others.
The researchers found that some factors, including the availability of amino acids, the presence of stress, and the presence of antibiotics, regulate co-translational mRNA degradation.
They also found that co-translational mRNA degradation can be used to identify gene-specific alterations in the mRNA. The researchers used meta-degradome sequencing to create a comprehensive atlas of mRNA translation and decay in bacteria. Metadegradome sequencing is a method that can be used to identify the different stages of mRNA decay. The researchers used meta-degradome sequencing to analyze 96 different bacterial species.
The researchers found that the process of mRNA translation and decay is conserved across all bacterial species they studied. However, they also found some differences in how mRNA translation and decay are regulated in different bacterial species.
For example, the researchers found that the availability of amino acids affects the rate of mRNA translation. They also found that the presence of stress and antibiotics affects the rate of mRNA decay.
The researchers believe their findings could be used to develop new methods for treating bacterial infections. For example, they could be used to develop new antibiotics that target the process of co-translational mRNA degradation.
Here are some of the key findings of the study:
• Co-translational mRNA degradation is widespread among bacteria.
• Many factors, including the availability of amino acids, stress, and antibiotics, regulate co-translational mRNA degradation.
• Co-translational mRNA degradation can identify gene-specific alterations in the mRNA.
• The study’s findings could be used to develop new methods for treating bacterial infections.
Journal Reference:
- Huch, S., Nersisyan, L., Ropat, M. et al. Atlas of mRNA translation and decay for bacteria. Nature Microbiology. DOI:10.1038/s41564-023-01393-z