How Persistent Bacteria Avoid Antibiotics: Scientists Reveal New Mechanism

The tide of antibacterial-resistant bacteria is growing. Now, though, scientists have found out the mechanism that these bacteria use to resist treatment. The findings could pave the way for new methods to control these dangerous bacteria.

Some bacteria evolve in order to resist antibiotics. Yet there are other types of bacteria, known as "persistent bacteria," which are not resistant to the antibiotics but simply continue to exist in a dormant or inactive state while exposed to antibacterial treatment. These bacteria then later "awaken" when the treatment is over and resume their life processes. Needless to say, this makes the bacteria extremely difficult to deal with.

In the past, scientists have known that there is a connection between these bacteria and the naturally occurring toxin, HipA, in the bacteria. Yet researchers didn't know the cellular target of this toxin and how its activity triggers dormancy in the bacteria. Now, they've found out.

The scientists found that when antibiotics attack these bacteria, the HipA toxin disrupts the chemical "messaging" process necessary for nutrients to build proteins. This is interpreted by the bacteria as a "hunger signal" and sends them into an inactive state where they can survive until the antibacterial treatment is over.

The findings reveal a bit more about how these dormant bacteria manage to evade antibacterial treatments. This could help scientists develop new methods for treating these bacteria in the future. As bacterial infection in hospitals rise and as bacteria evolved to become resistant, it's more important than ever to learn everything necessary about these bacteria in order to combat them.

Currently, the scientists plan to combine their work with work being done on combating persistent bacteria. The researchers hope that this will lead to more effective treatments for bacterial infections in the future.