Living organisms evolve as a response to exposure to their surroundings. While this is a good thing, this response in bacteria has become a global problem.
Bacteria have evolved to become resistant to antibiotics made by human beings and the case of Staphylococcus aureus is bothering medical experts. This bacteria is commonly found in wound infections and is generally cured over time without any medical treatment. Severe cases are treated by antibiotic medicines. The antibiotic-resistant form of staphylococcus is called methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, MRSA.
The bacteria, however, has gradually managed to become resistant to antibiotics like methicillin, making it harder to treat infections.
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Why is MRSA a problem?
Staphylococcus infections are pretty common, hence the resistance adopted by the bacteria can even lead to fatal consequences. Skin-to-skin contact and sharing of equipment can make a person prone to infection. Professor Niels Ødum is a researcher at the University of Copenhagen, currently working on skin immunology. He says that people suffering from serious skin conditions like skin lymphoma are the most sensitive target of the MRSA bacteria. High doses of antibiotics help us get rid of the symptoms but once the patient is off the medication, the symptoms come rushing back and might lead to an infection of resistant bacteria.
About five per cent of patients in the United States carry MRSA either on their skin or nose. People who inject drugs are 16 per cent more likely to get infected with MRSA. Sharing personal items such as hair combs, towels, and razors can transfer the bacteria from an infected person to a healthy person.
It seems like researchers have some good news and we might be able to fight the MRSA infection. Medical experts have found a new tool against MRSA called endolysin. It is found to be capable of curing resistant as well as non-resistant staphylococcus aureus.
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What is endolysin and how does it help?
Endolysin is an artificially produced enzyme which can cause the lysis of bacterial cell walls.
Antibiotics work by damaging the bacteria’s cell wall and hence resulting in their death or by inhibiting the reproduction of the bacteria. Developing resistance means the bacterial cell wall is no more affected by the drug.
Endolysin helps in eradicating bacterial growth and also inhibits the ability of staphylococcus aureus infection to grow into cancer. After several tests and changes in Endolysin, it is capable of targetting only the harmful staphylococcus, leaving the harmless bacteria in the body. It is a miracle for people with a weak immune system who are easily infected with bacteria.
The study was published in the journal ScienceDirect
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