A new compound antimicrobial cleared fatal flesh-eating bacteria in a mouse model, according to a study published Aug. 2 in Science Advances.
Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Umeå in Sweden developed the new compound, named GmPcide PS757, and tested it on mice infected with Streptococcus pyogenes.
S. pyogenes is responsible for 500,000 deaths globally each year and can cause diseases including strep throat, scarlet fever, toxic shock syndrome, rheumatic fever, impetigo, cellulitis and necrotizing fasciitis, the study said.
GmPcide PS757 cleared the S. pyogenes bacterial infections in mice and contributed to reduced levels of tissue damage and inflammation, and an accelerated the rate of wound healing, according to an Aug. 2 news release from the Washington University School of Medicine.
Authors of the study said GmPcide PS757 and other GmPcide compounds appeared to make pathogens less capable of creating drug-resistant strains, potentially leading to the development of a more effective treatment against antibiotic-resistant bacteria.