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MONTREAL is LAVAL, November 24, 2020 / CNW Telbec / – A team from National Institute for Scientific Research (INRS) demonstrated the effectiveness of an inexpensive molecule to fight antibiotic-resistant strains of the bacteria responsible for gonorrhea and meningococcal meningitis. These two infections affect millions of people around the world. The results of this research, led by Professor Frédéric Veyrier and Professor Annie castonguay, have just been published online in the Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy magazine.
Antibiotic resistance
In recent years, rising rates of antibiotic resistance have been a cause for concern for the World Health Organization (WHO), which celebrated World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, since November 18th to 24th 2020. This concern is particularly true in the case of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, for which some strains have developed resistance to all effective antibiotics. This bacterium is responsible for gonorrhea, an infection whose incidence has nearly tripled in the last decade to Canada. Resistant strains of Neisseria meningitidis, which cause bacterial meningitis, have also emerged. In the current pandemic environment, scientists are particularly concerned about an increase in antibiotic resistance due to their increased use.
Unlike other bacteria, Neisseria which cause meningitis and gonorrhea evolve very rapidly due to some intrinsic properties. For example, they have a great ability to acquire genes from other bacteria. They also have a suboptimal DNA repair system that leads to mutations; Antibiotic resistance can therefore emerge easily. The fact that these diseases affect many people around the world also gives them many opportunities to evolve, explaining why it is urgent to develop new ways to fight these bacteria.
A specific molecule
The research team demonstrated the effectiveness of a simple molecule in bacterial cultures and in an infection model. Well known to chemists, this molecule is accessible, inexpensive and could be of great help in the fight against these two types of pathogens. Neisseria. The advantage of this molecule is its specificity: “We have noticed that the molecule has only pathogenic effects Neisseria. It does not affect other types of Neisseria which are found in the upper respiratory system and can be useful, ”emphasizes Professor Frédéric Veyrier, also the scientific director of the platform for the characterization of biological and synthetic nano-vehicles.
During its experiments, the research team checked whether there was possible resistance to the molecule: “We were able to isolate strains of bacteria that were less sensitive to treatment, but this resistance was a double-edged sword because these mutants have completely lost their virulence, “says the microbiologist.
For the moment, the team doesn’t know exactly why the molecule reacts specifically with the two types Neisseria, but they suspect a membrane connection of these pathogens. This specificity opens the door to more fundamental research to determine what makes one bacterium virulent over others.
The next step will be to modify the structure of the molecule to make it more efficient, while maintaining its specificity. In parallel, the team wants to identify an industrial partner to evaluate the possibility of developing a potential treatment.
About the study
The article, titled “Sodium tetraphenylborate exhibits selective bactericidal activity against N. meningitidis is N. gonorrhoeae and is effective in reducing the burden of bacterial infections“, of Eve Bernet, Marthe Lebughe, Antony Vincent, Mohammad Mehdi Haghdoost, Golara Golbaghi, Steven Laplante, Annie castonguay and Frédéric Veyrier, was published online in the magazine Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy. The study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS), the Quebec Medication Research Network (RQRM) and the Canadian Francophonie Scholarship Program (PESC).
About INRS
INRS is a university dedicated exclusively to research and training at the university level. Since its creation in 1969, INRS has played an active role in Québec’s economic, social and cultural development and ranks first for research intensity in Quebec and the second in Canada. INRS is composed of four interdisciplinary research and training centers in Quebec City, Montreal, Laval, is Varennes, with expertise in strategic sectors: Water Earth Environment, Energy Materials Telecommunications, Society of Culture of Urbanization and Health Biotechnology of Armand-Frappier. The INRS community includes more than 1,400 students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty members and staff.
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SOURCE National Institute for Scientific Research (INRS)
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