Tuning natural antimicrobials to improve their effectiveness at battling superbugs

Monday, August 22, 2011 - 12:30 in Health & Medicine

Ongoing research is exploring the use of virus-produced proteins that destroy bacterial cells to combat potentially dangerous microbial infections. Bacteriophages produce endolysin proteins that specifically target certain bacteria, and one team of scientists has been studying one that destroys Clostridium difficile, a common source of hospital-acquired infections. New research is showing that it is possible to "tune" these endolysin properties to increase their effectiveness and effectiveness as antimicrobial agents.

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