New antibiotic that kills drug-resistant bacteria found in technician's garden

A species of Paenibacillus bacteria has potent antibacterial activity against some pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli.Credit: Clouds Hill Imaging Ltd/Science Photo Library Researchers have discovered a new antibiotic molecule that targets a broad range of disease-causing bacteria — even strains resistant to commercial drugs — and is not toxic to human cells1. The molecule was found in soil samples collected from a laboratory technician’s garden. The discovery shows that “there is terrifically interesting stuff hiding in plain sight”, says Kim Lewis, a microbiologist at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, who was not involved in the research. “Kudos to them that they knew what to look for.” Podcast: New lasso-shaped antibiotic kills drug-resistant bacteria The latest molecule targets bacteria’s protein-making factory, the ribosome, in a way that other antibiotic drugs don’t. The ribosome is an attractive antibiotic target because bacteria don’t easily develop ... Read full article.