A review of a new class of antibiotics that may work against 'untreatable' infections.

What is it about?

Bacteria are becoming resistant to all known antibiotics, including antibiotics of last resort called the polymyxins. There is a structurally comparable class of antibiotics, called the octapeptins, which work against bacteria that have become resistant to the polymyxins. The review discusses how they differ from the polymyxins in their activity and how they work, despite looking very similar.

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Why is it important?

We need new antibiotics - if we don't find ones against the bacteria that have become resistant to all current antibiotics, we face a return to a 'pre-antibiotic era'. The octapeptins may represent a new class of antibiotics, but there is some skepticism since they look very similar to the polymyxins, old antibiotics that have quite a few liabilities. Excitingly, the octapeptins work against polymyxin-resistant bacteria, and do not cause resistance to emerge as quickly as the polymyxins, so look very promising.

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