A bacteria-killing enzyme can detect and destroy anthrax, andshould work even if terrorists create antibiotic-resistant strains,researchers say.
The enzyme was isolated from a virus that attacks bacterial cells.
"Essentially, it cracks them open and releases all the cellcontents, so the bacterial cell explodes," said Raymond Schuch of theRockefeller University in New York, co-author of a study publishedtoday in the journal Nature.
Ordinary anthrax responds to antibiotics, but there is concernterrorists might develop resistant strains. The researchers suggestedit would be difficult to create strains that resist the enzymebecause it acts on a vital part of the bacterial wall that can'teasily be modified.
Schuch and colleagues said the enzyme, called PlyG lysin, killsanthrax bacteria in the laboratory. What's more, when they infectedmice with a related kind of bacteria that can kill the animals withinfive hours, prompt treatment with PlyG saved 13 of 19 animals.
They also said spores of this bacteria could be quickly detectedusing PlyG and a hand-held device.
AP
No comments:
Post a Comment