Combating bacteria's new survival kit

Bacteria has always been a worry for scientists, because of its rapid evolution in accordance

with the environment.

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Researchers from Dr Thomas Naderer’s laboratory showed some interesting findings to understand the bacteria, its endotoxins to counter its infection and resistance to antibiotics. Prior researchers thought that bacteria releases endotoxins being the part of the external cell

wall especially of Gram Negative bacteria, causing an inflammatory pattern of programmed cell death called pyroptosis in imumme cells. Pathogenic bacteria further use the same way to release additional toxins by releasing additional outer membrane vesicles (group of toxins)

that target the mitochondria, kill the immune cells and lead to apoptosis.

Their research published in Nature Microbiology showed that the bacterial infections target the mitochondria, tricking the immune cells to believe that their mitochondria is no longer functional, activating the host cell death factors, inducing apoptosis. This response can persist causing a lot of tissue damage due to bacterial invasion.

The researchers have used some multi-drug resistant well known deadly bacterial pathogens Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, to carry out in vivo experiments in mice by targeting the apoptotic factors and showed the reduced inflammation and increased immune response, leading to better health outcomes.

Dr. Naderer and Dr. Deo, the authors of this research, state that this study is applicable to different bacterial species and the new approach they have found, can open to new therapeutic possibilities and overcome inflammatory tissue damages and also this being a good lead for the main problem of multi-drug resistance.

Following up to this discovery, the scientists will use this data to re-purpose some drugs already in use or to build new ways of anti-cancer treatments or new drugs to clear these potent bacterial infections.