Analysis reveals promising approach in the battle against resistant bacteria

Together with colleagues from Brazil and China, Hamburg scientists working on DESY's X-ray light sources have developed a promising approach for outsmarting hospital germs that are resistant to antibiotics. Instead of attacking such MRSA bacteria directly, the scientists meddle with a metabolic pathway that is essential to the survival of the germs. As a result, the bacteria produce a useless variant of the vitamin B1, and in the absence of functional vitamin B1 the germs die. The team surrounding Christian Betzel, a professor at the University of Hamburg, and Carsten Wrenger, a professor at the University of Sao Paulo, is presenting its findings in the journal Scientific Reports.

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