Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health. Over one million deaths per year due to infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria. The new hope is called Lolamycin: a “smart” antibiotic discovered by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Unlike broad-spectrum antibiotics, which indiscriminately kill both harmful and beneficial bacteria, Lolamycin can selectively target gram-negative bacteria, sparing the gut microbiome.
And that makes all the difference in the world, as you will understand. And yes, because it allows us to treat drug-resistant infections, and at the same time prevents complications linked to the alteration of the microbial balance of our intestine. In two words: a bomb.
Lolamycin, the terror of superbugs
Gram-negative bacteria, responsible for intestinal, lung, urinary and blood infections, have become increasingly resistant to drugs and difficult to eradicate. Broad-spectrum antibiotics, which eliminate both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, have the advantage of targeting a wide range of pathogens, but the price to pay is the destruction of the beneficial bacteria that populate the precious microbiome of our intestine.
This imbalance in the gut microbiome can have devastating health consequences, increasing the risk of infections from Clostridioides difficult, a serious intestinal disease that affects millions of people and causes tens of thousands of deaths per year.
This is the scenario in which we move. And it gives you a good idea of the crucial importance that a "selective" remedy like Lolamycin could have. A remedy capable of treating infections without damaging the delicate ecosystem of the intestine.
A promise for the future
Laboratory and animal tests, published in Nature, have demonstrated the effectiveness of Lolamycin against 130 strains of E. coli e K pneumoniae drug-resistant, treating acute pneumonia and blood infections in rats without altering their gut microbiome.
Unlike other antibiotics such as amoxicillin or clindamycin, Lolamycin did not change the intestinal microbiome of mice in the slightest: not even one month after treatment.
It's not all. Lolamycin reduced infections from It's hard in the colon of mice compared to other antibiotics, demonstrating its potential to also prevent this fearful complication.
Researchers believe that Lolamycin and other pathogen-specific antibiotics will become increasingly important for minimizing collateral damage to the gut microbiome. And this will make them "superior" to antibiotics currently in clinical use.
A race against time
The road to the clinical application of Lolamycin is still long and we should do everything possible to shorten it (always in complete safety, of course). The threat of antibiotic resistance continues to grow, with the World Health Organization recently updating its list of high-risk bacteria, identifying 15 families of antibiotic-resistant bacteria as a critical priority.
Without effective new treatments, the number of deaths due to drug-resistant infections is expected to increase. For this reason, the discovery of Lolamycin gives rise to hope, but joint efforts will be needed at a global level to promote research and speed it up.
Lolamycin is one piece of the approach to a global challenge
Antibiotic resistance knows no borders: it requires a coordinated global response. WHO is promoting a people-centred approach to raise awareness of the responsible use of medicines. Let's take them only if strictly necessary, following the doctor's instructions and taking care of hygiene.
And above all we support research and innovation. Because only through the discovery of new drugs like Lolamycin will we be able to win the battle against superbugs, and transform once-lethal infections into a distant memory.
