AI tools may help clinicians recognize sepsis earlier, but false alarms, limited external validation, and uncertain effects on patient outcomes complicate their use in adult and neonatal intensive care.
|Articles|July 21, 2015
Sweet Revenge: A Synthetic Sugar Could Fight Superbugs
Advertisement
A special type of synthetic sugar could be the latest weapon in the fight against superbugs. A team of scientists from the University of Queensland and Queensland biotechnology company Alchemia have discovered a potential new class of antibiotics inspired by sugar molecules produced by bacteria.
New antibiotics to which bacteria are unlikely to develop resistance are urgently needed to combat the rise of drug-resistant bacteria.
The research, led by professor Matt Cooper and Dr. Johannes Zuegg from UQ's Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) in partnership with Alchemia, was published in scientific journal Nature Communications.
Cooper, who is director of the IMB Centre for Superbug Solutions, says bacteria are less likely to become resistant to an antibiotic based on a modified version of their own sugar. "Bacteria have cell walls similar to the walls of a brick house, except instead of mortar the walls are held together by sugar polymers. But if you add one of our modified sugar molecules, they stop the linking process, destroying the cell wall and killing the bacteria. The cell wall has been a target for antibiotics such as penicillin and vancomycin before, but the difference here is that we are stopping a centrally important part of the cell wall linking process."
Zuegg says the team examined hundreds of versions of Alchemia's modified sugar molecules to find those that will kill bacteria and are non-toxic to human cells. "Most molecules screened to become drugs have a flat, planar shape, whereas these molecules are three dimensional. This means we can build on the sugar core in a variety of ways to make thousands of different combinations in three dimensional space."
The team included researchers from University of Warwick in the UK, Academia Sinica in Taiwan and Ghent University in Belgium.
The work was supported by Alchemia, the National Health and Medical Research Council, Bayer Animal Health and the Wellcome Trust.
Source: University of Queensland
Advertisement
Related to this article
An imported case of Bundibugyo virus disease in Kenya raises questions about airport screening, clinical recognition, and potential exposures, highlighting the importance of coordinated contact tracing and hospital infection prevention readiness.
Florida’s dengue outbreak highlights the importance of recognizing symptoms, identifying warning signs, and preventing mosquito bites. Ubong Johnson, MD, explains local transmission, diagnostic testing, treatment, and practical prevention measures.
Understanding current water quality is a starting point for ST108 implementation. John Kimsey, vice president of processing optimization and customer success for STERIS, spoke about his HSPA presentation on assessing readiness, distinguishing system qualification from routine testing, and understanding where water samples should be collected.
An unexplained death at a Russian plague research institute has prompted international scrutiny. The incident raises questions about laboratory safety, transparent reporting, and infection prevention preparedness while the cause remains unconfirmed.
Behind every landmark in infection prevention, from antimicrobial stewardship guidelines to the COVID-19 town halls that reached flight attendants and teachers, is a generation of physician-scientists who led SHEA through crises, organizational change, and scientific breakthroughs. Infection Control Today traces 30 years of SHEA presidents and the lasting mark they left on the field.
Missing instruments and processing delays can strain OR–SPD relationships. At AORN 2026, John Kimsey, vice president of processing optimization and customer success for STERIS, discusses understanding root causes, exploring off-site reprocessing for ambulatory surgical centers, and using hands-on simulation to help surgical teams see sterile processing from a different perspective.
This week's coverage in Infection Control Today centered on a common thread: the systems, partnerships, and data that let infection prevention teams catch problems before patients are harmed.
Advertisement
Advertisement