New Family of Antibacterial Agents Discovered

Scientists at the University of Kiel have identified a new family of antimicrobial proteins that could be used to fight bacteria growing resistant to current antibacterial treatments.

Called macins, this new family includes the protein identified as hydramacin, a derivative obtained from the tiny freshwater animals Hydra. Other members of this family include two antimicrobial compounds previously discovered in leeches, with all these proteins similar to a superfamily known to exist in scorpion venom.

Laboratory tests have shown hydramacin to be extremely effective at killing both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and sharing virtually no similarity with other commonly used antibacterial proteins. Hydramacin also proved effective at killing drug-resistant strains such as Klebsiella oxytoca, an infectious agent commonly found in hospitals.

These results were published in a recent issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Photo: ScienceDaily