The Last-Resort Antibiotic Forces Superbugs to Self-Destruct, But There's a Secret to Survival.

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🚨Breaking News in the War Against Superbugs. Discover the fascinating truth behind 'last-resort' antibiotics: they don't just attack bacteria, they force them to self-destruct! But there's a catch. If the bacteria are "asleep," the drug doesn't work. The scientific solution could be as simple as giving them a little sugar. Are we looking at the new strategy to defeat resistance? Watch the video.  #Superbugs #Antibiotics #ScienceThatSavesLives

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00:00Attention! The astonishing strategy of superbugs to survive our last resort antibiotics.

00:06For decades, Colin Nixons have been our last line of defense.

00:11These potent antibiotics are the only hope against the most dangerous infections caused by gram-negative bacteria.

00:18Microorganisms armored with a protective layer that makes them practically invulnerable to other drugs.

00:24However, what we didn't know was exactly how this last resort antibiotic worked.

00:30Now, research from UCL and Imperial College London has revealed a truth that is both fascinating and alarming.

00:38The antibiotic polymyxin B does undecun just attack the bacteria.

00:42It forces them to self-destruct.

00:45Using high-resolution microscopy, the technique that allows scientists to feel the shape of the cell in real time,

00:52the researchers captured the exact moment of the attack.

00:56The discovery is surprising.

00:58When the drug polymyxin B encounters an active bacterium, such as E. coli,

01:03it quickly triggers the appearance of bulges and bumps on its surface.

01:08In essence, the bacterium is forced to produce and shed its protective armor at a frantic pace,

01:14as one of the co-authors, Carolina Borelli, explained.

01:17It is as if the cell is forced to produce bricks for its outer wall,

01:21at such a rate that this wall becomes disrupted.

01:24The bacterium desperately tries to replace what is being lost,

01:28but ends up creating fatal gaps in its defenses,

01:31allowing the antibiotic to infiltrate and kill it.

01:35The bacteria's own weapon becomes its downfall.

01:38The critical limitation.

01:41What if the bacterium is asleep?

01:42But this dramatic self-destruction mechanism has a crucial limitation.

01:48One that may hold the key to why these infections often recur.

01:52The process only works if the bacterial cell is active,

01:55meaning it is growing and replicated.

01:59In a state of dormancy, where the bacterium is sleeping or hibernating due to lack of food.

02:04The production of this armor is switched off.

02:07If there is no armor to shed, the self-destruction trigger is not activated,

02:12rendering polymyxins completely ineffective.

02:16This was an unexpected finding for the researchers.

02:19This ability to hibernate allows the bacterium to survive the treatment and,

02:24when conditions are favorable, simply wake up later, leading to the recurrence of the infection.

02:30The new hope.

02:31Wake up to annihilate.

02:33Understanding this limitation is vital.

02:35The research findings don't just explain a mechanism.

02:39They suggest a new and powerful treatment strategy.

02:42Waking up the bacteria before attacking them.

02:46In experiments, the team gave the E. coli cells access to sugar.

02:50A food source that pulls the cells out of their dormant state.

02:54The result?

02:55The antibiotic successfully killed the previously inactive cells.

03:00There was only a 15-minute delay the exact time the bacteria needed to consume the sugar

03:05and resume production of their armor, making them vulnerable.

03:09This research is a wake-up call.

03:12We can no longer evaluate the effectiveness of an antibiotic without taking into account the state of the bacterium.

03:18The fight against superbugs could change forever.

03:21First, we wake them up.

03:23Then, we let them self-destruct.

03:26Science provides us with a new tool, but the race against resistance never stops.

03:31Money expo.

03:32leftover loi

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