http://www.newser.com/story/200981/powerful-new-antibiotic-could-crush-superbugs.htmlby Rob Quinn
January 8, 2015
Are superbugs about to meet their match? There hasn't been a major new antibiotic discovered in 25 years, but researchers say a drug called teixobactin that has been extracted from dirt in Maine could be the biggest breakthrough in a generation, Fast Company reports. The experimental drug has so far only been tested on mice, but the tests have showed it to be stunningly effective. "Teixobactin kills exceptionally well. It has the ability to rapidly clear infections," says the lead author of a study published in Nature. The drug not only cured mice of staph infections, it attacked multiple targets in a way that will make it tough for bacteria to develop resistance, meaning it could remain effective for decades.
Full study (paywalled):
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature14098.html
