Researchers have discovered a new antibiotic in the lungs of a cystic fibrosis patient that may prove effective in the fight against antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
The study details the discovery of a species of Burkholderia gladioli isolated from the saliva and mucus of a pediatric cystic fibrosis patient. The bacterium produces an antibiotic called gladiolin, which was found to be active against multiple isolates of drug-resistant strains of TB in the laboratory setting.
"Overall, these data suggest that gladiolin may represent a useful starting point for the development of novel drugs to tackle multidrug-resistant TB," wrote the study's authors.
To learn more about drug-resistant TB, click here.
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