Research lends hope to superbug battle

Findings may lead to new therapies, treatment for ailments

Vancouver Sun, December 2, 2008
by Amy O’Brian

Aside from ad campaigns urging people to think twice before taking antibiotics, there is little the medical community has been able to do to prevent the steady march forward of superbugs.

But new research by a team of scientists from several institutions, including Simon Fraser University and the University of B. C., has lent new optimism to the f ight against superbugs, which are caused by increasing resistances to antibiotics.

The scientists’ findings, published Monday in Genome Research , are expected to lead to new therapies and treatments for bacterial infections and diseases.

The researchers were able to pinpoint gene clusters that boost the ability of ordinary bacteria to cause diseases.
“Why this is notable is that previously, people had clues that these little gene clusters are probably responsible for causing disease and virulent strains,” said Fiona Brinkman, an SFU molecular biologist who participated in the research.

“But we are able to show now through infection models and extensive analysis that yes, indeed, these gene clusters are causing this increased ability for this bug to cause disease.”

The findings are particularly significant to children suffering from cystic fibrosis because they are susceptible to bacteria that are ubiquitous in our environment and are therefore very difficult to treat with antibiotics. The bacteria lead to infections that are often fatal, but the team’s research — which included genome sequencing — showed that the bacteria aren’t necessarily to blame.

“What we found was these sort of gene clusters in the genome that seemed to cause enhanced ability of this bug to compete against other strains,” Brinkman said. “ We think that these gene clusters are the critical feature that’s causing this to have an increased virulence.”

The research has not immediately generated a way to treat the infections to which cystic fibrosis patients are susceptible, but it could lead scientists to a way of treating them without depending on antibiotics.