Anthracimycin: New Antibiotic Kills Anthrax, MRSA

Sci-News.com ^ | Jul 19, 2013 | NA

[neverdem]

Scientists have discovered a marine microbe-derived antibiotic that has the ability to kill the deadly Anthrax bacterium Bacillus anthracis and other pathogens such as the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Bacillus anthracis spores as viewed in scanning electron microscopy (© National Academy of Engineering)

Prof William Fenical with colleagues from the University of California San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography first collected Streptomyces sp. - a marine microorganism that produces the compound – in 2012 from sediments close to shore off Santa Barbara, California.

Using an analytical technique known as spectroscopy, they then deciphered the unusual structure of a molecule isolated from Streptomyces sp. Initial testing of the compound, which they named Anthracimycin, revealed its potency as a killer of anthrax and the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

“The real importance of this work is the fact that Anthracimycin has a new and unique chemical structure,” explained Prof Fenical, who is a senior author of a paper reporting the discovery in the journal Angewandte Chemie.

Structure of Anthracimycin from X-ray crystal structure analysis. Bottom right: chemical structure of Anthracimycin (Kyoung Hwa Jang et al)

“The finding is a basic research discovery, which could lead to testing and development, and eventually a drug.”

“The discovery of truly new antibiotic compounds is quite rare. This discovery adds to many previous discoveries that show that marine bacteria are genetically and chemically unique.”

“The discovery provides the latest evidence that the oceans, and many of its unexplored regions, represent a vast resource for new materials that could one day treat a variety of diseases and illnesses,” Prof Fenical concluded.

______

Bibliographic information: Kyoung Hwa Jang et al. 2013. Anthracimycin, a Potent Anthrax Antibiotic from a Marine-Derived Actinomycete. Angewandte Chemie, vol. 52, no 30, pages 7822–7824; doi: 10.1002/anie.201302749

[17th Miss Regt]

in 2012 from sediments close to shore off Santa Barbara, California

Sediments from an environment that has continuous oil seeps from the sea floor that put oil tar on the beach sands. This is awful. In this case we must plug the oil seeps, vacuum up all the sediments, store them safely underground forever and walk away from this discovery, lest the oil companies possibly get favorable reflected publicity from such a discovery. Yes, people will die, but oil companies getting favorable reflected publicity from such a discovery is worse. You can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs. (/liberal)

[Uri’el-2012]

U-2012>Both MSSA and MRSA are hospital acquired

Both are also community acquired already.

The literature would suggest it is primarily acquired in hospitals.

I went in the hospital this year for what I thought was
a routine aortic valve replacement.

I acquired MSSA in my sternum,
MSSA ate the sternum;
it had to be removed.

Twelve weeks four times a day of the most
exotic antibiotics to kill the Staph infection.

Thirty-eight doctors said I was going to die,
one Infectious Disease Doctor saved my life.

I had been told I would be in the hospital for 8 - 10 day;
It was four months and six operations.

I can no longer ride in a car with an air bag.

[EternalVigilance]

Bump!

[Gay State Conservative]

Of course when a generic knockoff (probably an illegal one) becomes cheap enough to be sold in Mexico,Nigeria and Indonesia worldwide,and complete,resistance will occur overnight.

[Hiddigeigei]

“What’s really interesting here is that this antibiotic came from bacteria...”

Streptomycin the first antibiotic remedy for tuberculosis was first isolated from the actinobacterium Streptomyces griseus on October 19, 1943, by Albert Schatz, a graduate student, in the laboratory of Selman Abraham Waksman at Rutgers University.

[Thud]

ping

[Smokin' Joe]

Ping! (thanks, neverdem!)

[Smokin' Joe]

It stands to reason that sooner or later a bacillus would use chemical warfare against the competition...maybe there are more antibiotics out there that fit the same mold (no pun intended).

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[bitt]

msra me!

grand discovery!

[OldMissileer]

It took months to heal and required a wound specialist’s care.

I was lucky. It started like a pimple and then grew to the size of a golf ball. This was the worst pain I have ever had and I have had many injuries due to football, hockey, rock climbing, and several other stupid things young people do.

Anyway, the infection stayed above the muscle and spread over the left side of my chest in less than two days. My daughter drove me to Dewitt and I actually thought I would not make it there alive.

I have a small indentation in my armpit where the doctors opened the wound after two days of heavy antibiotics. I was truly blessed.

[Smokin' Joe]

You’re Welcome, Alamo-Girl!

[RinaseaofDs]

Revers.

We put the chemical in the water and food supply, and nobody knew, or could have predicted the result.

Revers.