Acinetobacter baumannii (commonly known as “Crab”) has been classified as a priority 1 dangerous pathogen by the World Health Organization (WHO), along with two other forms of drug-resistant bacteria – Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacteriaceae.

Antibiotic-resistant infections represent an urgent threat to human health, especially those caused by a large group of bacteria known as Gram-negative bacteria, which are protected by an outer layer containing a substance called lipopolysaccharide (LPS).

Now, a team of researchers, led by Daniel Kahn of Harvard University, has discovered that the antibiotic zosorabalbin can defeat superbugs in mice with pneumonia and sepsis, a severe immune response to infection that can lead to organ failure and even death.

“LPS allows bacteria to live in harsh environments and also allows them to avoid attacks by our immune system,” said Michael Lubritz, global director of infectious diseases at Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, which developed the new drug, according to the British newspaper. “Watchman”.

Roche had previously identified azosorabalpine as being able to inhibit bacterial growth, but did not know how it worked or whether it was effective in animals with cancer-related infections.

According to the study Published in the scientific journal “Nature”.The drug prevents LPS from moving to the outer membrane of bacteria, killing them. Furthermore, azosurabalpine significantly reduced bacteria levels in mice with pneumonia caused by superbugs and prevented death in those with sepsis.

Although this molecule will not single-handedly solve the public health threat caused by antibiotic-resistant infections, this discovery could help create new mechanisms capable of attacking the same transport system in other bacteria. According to Andrew Edwards, senior lecturer in molecular microbiology at Imperial College London, a different type of antibiotic, known as moripavadine, is being developed that targets LPS transport, albeit through a different mechanism.