Researchers from Duke University in Durham, N.C., may have found antibiotic-resistant bacteria's Achilles' heel in the form of a time frame when bacteria are most vulnerable to treatment.
The study authors found that, after a dose of antibiotics, a population of moderately resistant bacteria will be sensitive to further treatment before reaching a resistant state. If the subsequent doses of treatment are delivered while the bacteria are still vulnerable, the bacteria population declines after each dose. If the vulnerable period has passed, the bacteria population will recover.
Using their study findings, the researchers have identified a new metric that may help guide the design of existing antibiotic regimens. Additionally, their new approach may help reintroduce antibiotics that have been disregarded out of concern for treatment failure for certain bacterial pathogens.