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Written By: Editorial Team | Published : September 9, 2018 6:29 PM IST
New antibiotic to fight against superbugs © Shutterstock
Chinese researchers have identified a fungal compound that could lead to a new antibiotic, giving mankind another weapon to fight against superbugs. In recent years, due to the overuse of antibiotics, strains of bacteria have developed resistance to many different types of drugs. According to the PTI report, scientists from Chongqing University in China have developed a technique to synthesise albomycin, a group of fungal compounds that have previously shown antimicrobial properties.
Yun He from the Chongqing University reportedly said to Xinhua news agency that the method they used can efficiently and conveniently synthesise albomycin substances, and initial animal lab test has demonstrated that these substances are safe, but they will continue their research on its safety.
Researchers were able to obtain the substances in large enough amounts to allow them to test their antibiotic activity.
One substance performed well in a test against a variety of bacterial strains. According to a study published in the journal Nature Communication, it outperformed several established antibiotics. According to the team of researchers, further tests are needed to see whether the substance is safe and effective to use as a drug against bacterial infections.
However, the health organisations across the world are trying to reduce the use of antibiotics.
