Researchers at the [b]University of British Columbia[/b] have identified a small molecule that prevents bacteria from forming into biofilms, a frequent cause of infections. The anti-biofilm peptide works on a range of bacteria including many that cannot be treated by antibiotics. ‘Currently there is a severe problem with antibiotic-resistant organisms.’ says Bob Hancock, a professor in [b]UBC’s Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology[/b] and lead author of the study in a [s]Science Daily[/s] report. ‘There are currently no approved treatments for biofilm infections and bacteria in biofilms are considerably more resistant to standard antibiotics.’ Hancock and his colleagues found that the peptide known as 1018 – consisting of just 12 amino acids, the building blocks of protein – destroyed biofilms and prevented them from forming.
[link url=http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140522175719.htm]Full Science Daily report[/link]
[link url=http://www.plospathogens.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.ppat.1004152]PLOS Pathogens abstract[/link]