Staphylococcus aureus has a resistance strategy that thwarts certain antimicrobials
Friday, October 7, 2016 - 06:01
in Health & Medicine
The natural presence of fatty acids in the human body leads to increased resistance of Staphylococcus aureus to a class of antimicrobials that target bacterial fatty acid biosynthesis. This discovery, based on research by INRA scientists in collaboration with with INSERM, Hôpital Cochin APHP, the Université Paris Descartes, Institut Pasteur and CNRS scientists, is reported in an article in Nature Communications (5 October 2016). While antimicrobial drug discovery is a top research priority, this work reveals that resistance strategies involving host fatty acids can thwart the use of fatty acid synthesis inhibitors to treat staphylococcal infection.