New antibacterial peptide effective against infections in burn or blast wounds

An antibacterial peptide developed by Laszlo Otvos, a research professor of biology in Temple's College of Science and Technology, looks to be a highly-effective therapy against infections in burn or blast wounds suffered by soldiers.

Otvos and his collaborators found that when given intramuscularly the peptide A3-APO was more effective than current antimicrobial chemotherapy measures in treating multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, the most common systemic infection found in soldiers who suffer burn or blast wounds. The peptide is also highly efficacious in models of multi-drug resistant systemic Escherichia coli infections.

Their findings are being published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.

Otvos said that 40 percent of gowns and gloves in military hospitals are infected with Acinetobacter baumannii, and half of the soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with burn wounds will become infected.

Currently, these infections are treated with an antibiotic, either imipenem or colistin. However, both of these rapidly lose efficacy due to high rates of antimicrobial resistance. In addition, colistin is a strongly toxic drug and worldwide research is focusing on its replacement options.

For their study, the researchers used a strain of Acinetobacter baumannii isolated from an injured Canadian soldier returning from Afghanistan for testing in the lab. They found that A3-APO, when given intramuscularly, was less toxic and more effective in reducing bacterial counts in the blood and the injury site than imipenem or colistin. The peptide also protected open wounds from environmental bacterial infection.

"This is the first peptide ever that is more efficacious in an animal model than anything else that is available," said Otvos, who hopes the peptide can be tested in clinical trials in the near future.

Comments

The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of News Medical.
Post a new comment
Post

While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for medical information you must always consult a medical professional before acting on any information provided.

Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles.

Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

Read the full Terms & Conditions.

You might also like...
Research identifies 31 additional cancers potentially linked to obesity