Certain types of life-threatening bacteria are no longer killed by current antibiotics, creating a need to develop new compounds to fight them. Scientists have been studying proteins produced by animals and humans, called cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs), that the body uses to fight off infections. Recently, scientists developed a new method to identify CAMPs, and they hope the method can uncover CAMPs that are effective against dangerous bacteria.
Unfortunately, the promise of new CAMPs does not mean that we will have permanent weapons to fight against germs. Just as bacteria have built resistance to current antibiotics, changing their “skins” so that antibiotics can no longer break them open, bacteria can also develop ways to evade new CAMPs. Thoughtful and careful use of antibiotics and CAMPs will be important to prevent bacteria from building resistance faster than we can create new antibacterial compounds.
Managing Correspondent: Emily Low
Acknowledgments: Special thanks to Patricia Rohs, a graduate student in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences program at Harvard, for providing expert advice on the topic of antibiotics.
Original journal article: Bioprospecting the American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) Host Defense Peptidome
Other media coverage: NewScientist
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