Scientists have what could be some very bad news for disease-causing bacteria. All three major classes of antibiotics that kill infectious bacteria do so in part by ramping up the production of harmful free radicals, researchers report in Cell a publication of Cell Press. Because those different types of antibiotics each initially hit different targets, it had been believed they worked by independent means.
"Hydroxyl radicals damage DNA, which turns on the S.O.S. repair response," said James Collins. "Therefore, our findings suggest that if you could shut off the bacteria's repair response, you might make all bactericidal antibiotics more effective and effective at lower doses. You could in essence create a super-Cipro, super-mycins, and so on."
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