It is hoped the discovery could lead to new ways to target the Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterium, which is responsible for six per cent of healthcare associated infections in NHS patients and has a widespread resistance to many antibiotics.
Infection by P. aeruginosa is a major cause of death in patients with cystic fibrosis.
The research, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and published in Open Biology, shows that an infection pathway in P. aeruginosa is activated when the bug encounters low-oxygen conditions.
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Reproduced courtesy of the University of Cambridge
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Scientists discover ‘switch’ that turns on aggressive infection in superbug
31 January 2013
University of Cambridge researchers have discovered how an antibiotic-resistant superbug exploits oxygen-limited conditions in the lungs of patients with severe respiratory disease to thrive.