A natural substance that helps kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Researchers have found that a natural substance found in the bark of some trees can kill drug-resistant bacteria, making it a potential key tool in the fight against resistant microbes.

A new study by scientists from the University of Portsmouth in the UK and the University of Naresuan and People’s Kram Rajabat in Thailand has shown that hydroquinine, which can already be used to treat malaria in humans, has the ability to kill microbes.

The team found that hydroquinine was effective against a multidrug-resistant pathogen known as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, among other microorganisms. Blood infections associated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa have a high mortality rate of 30 to 50 percent.

Robert Baldock, from the School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Portsmouth, said: “Using experiments that kill bacteria, we found that hydroquinine can kill a number of microorganisms, including the common multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

He added: “In particular, we also found that one of the key mechanisms these bacteria use to escape the lethal activity of the drug increased with treatment, indicating a strong response by the bacteria. With further study of this substance, we hope that in the future it may offer an additional therapeutic avenue in the fight against bacterial infections.

The growing threat of resistant microbes

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drug-resistant microbes are an urgent threat to global public health, having killed at least 1.27 million people worldwide and been linked to nearly 5 million deaths in 2019.

This happens when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites mutate over time and no longer respond to medications. This makes the infection more difficult to treat and increases the risk of serious infection and death.

Among the top 10 threats to public health

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared antimicrobial resistance as one of the top ten global public health threats facing humanity. Increasing rates of resistance to antibiotics used to treat common bacterial infections have been reported around the world, including urinary tract infections, sepsis, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and some forms of diarrhea, says the World Health Organization.

According to the UN, this indicates that effective antibiotics are running out, adding that clinical trials of new antimicrobials are currently scarce.

“Our future research aims to identify the molecular target of hydrokinine. This will help us understand how the substance works against pathogenic bacteria and how to use it in a clinical setting,” said Dr. Jirapas Jonggoitimol from the Department of Medical Technology at Naresuan University. .