Teixobactin’s two pronged antibiotic attack mechanism revealed
Understanding of formation of deadly supramolecular structures could help build improved antimicrobials
The precise way in which teixobactin, the first promising new antibiotic in decades, kills bacteria has been unravelled. This discovery will help pave the way for further optimisation of this compound and ultimately it’s use in patients.
Teixobactin was discovered in 2015 when a new method to culture previously unculturable bacteria was developed. Since then, the antimicrobial effects of the compound have excited researchers and clinicians around the world. While the killing power of teixobactin had been observed it was unknown exactly how the compound, isolated from the soil bacterium Eleftheria terrae, accomplished this task.