Antibiotic intercepts building blocks of the bacterial envelope
Tuesday, March 24, 2020 - 13:20
in Health & Medicine
One of the last arrows in the quiver in the fight against dangerous bacteria is the reserve antibiotic daptomycin. It is used primarily when conventional drugs fail due to resistant bacteria. Although the antibiotic was developed around 30 years ago, its exact mode of action was previously unclear. Scientists have now deciphered the puzzle: Daptomycin blocks the integration of important building blocks into the cell wall of the pathogens.