Novel combination therapy to counter antibiotic-resistant Mycobacterium abscessus infections

Medical Xpress / Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology / JAC-Antimicrobial Resistance ^ | June 6, 2023 | Boon Chong Goh et al

[ConservativeMind]

Researchers have discovered a novel therapy by combining two antibiotics, rifaximin and clarithromycin, to treat Mycobacterium abscessus, a non-tuberculous mycobacterium that causes chronic lung-related infections.

Infections caused by NTM are a fast-growing health concern worldwide, particularly in the context of lung-related infections. Among NTMs, M. abscessus is one of the most prevalent, causing pulmonary infections in humans with immune deficiencies or underlying lung conditions. M. abscessus has also been linked to severe infections in various other parts of the body, including the skin, joints, soft tissues, and surgical sites. These infections are difficult to treat due to the bacterium's extensive innate resistance to many commonly used antibiotics.

Currently, M. abscessus infections are treated by a multidrug regimen that includes clarithromycin, but some M. abscessus subspecies acquire resistance upon repeated exposure to the drug. As a result, available treatment options are limited, leading to prolonged and recurrent infections and even fatalities in some cases.

A recent study revealed promising findings on the use of rifaximin (an antibiotic commonly used to treat gastrointestinal bacterial infections) as a clarithromycin potentiator with the ability to increase clarithromycin sensitivity and improve its ability to kill M. abscessus.

During the discovery stage of the study, the researchers conducted drug screening campaigns and successfully identified several drug candidates as clarithromycin potentiators. Further preclinical testing of these drug candidates confirmed rifaximin as the most effective clarithromycin potentiator, with the combination of rifaximin and clarithromycin showing efficacy both in vitro and in a zebrafish embryo infection model.

"Despite being primarily used for gastrointestinal infections and having limited activity against drug-resistant M. abscessus, our study demonstrated the synergistic effect of rifaximin with clarithromycin in effectively eliminating the bacteria," said Dr. Boon Chong Goh.

[ConservativeMind]

Rifaximin and clarithromycin are available today.

[ConservativeMind]

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[iontheball]

Another VAIDS opportunistic disease showing its ugly face to humanity. What we need is a Manhattan project to identify all drugs that have therapeutic qualities beyond their stated purpose(s). Off-label drugs like Ivermectin, Fenbenzadole, and hydroxychloroquine are recent examples of this pressing need. Unfortunately, Big Pharma will not do the work because there is no money in researching drugs whose patents have expired.

[sauropod]

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