Therapeutics and Prevention
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionDeciphering the Evolution of Cephalosporin Resistance to Ceftolozane-Tazobactam in Pseudomonas aeruginosaThe presence of β-lactamases (e.g., PDC-3) that have naturally evolved and acquired the ability to break down β-lactam antibiotics (e.g., ceftazidime and ceftolozane) leads to highly resistant and potentially lethal Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. We show that wild-type PDC-3 β-lactamase forms an acyl enzyme complex with ceftazidime, but it cannot accommodate the...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionAntibodies against the Majority Subunit (PilA) of the Type IV Pilus of Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae Disperse Moraxella catarrhalis from a Dual-Species BiofilmMiddle ear infections (or otitis media [OM]) are highly prevalent among children worldwide and present a tremendous socioeconomic challenge for health care systems. More importantly, this disease diminishes the quality of life of young children. OM is often chronic and recurrent, due to the presence of highly antibiotic-resistant communities of bacteria (called biofilms) that persist within the middle ear space. To combat these...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionDevelopment of Thermostable Lyophilized Sabin Inactivated Poliovirus VaccinePoliomyelitis is a highly contagious disease caused by the poliovirus. While the live attenuated OPV has been the vaccine of choice, a major concern is its ability to revert to a form that can cause paralysis, so-called vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis. Therefore, the new endgame strategy of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative includes the introduction of an IPV. However, the feasibility of the use of current IPV...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionDifferentially Detectable Mycobacterium tuberculosis Cells in Sputum from Treatment-Naive Subjects in Haiti and Their Proportionate Increase after Initiation of TreatmentMeasurement of the reduction in CFU in sputum of patients with TB up to 2 weeks after the initiation of treatment is the gateway test for a new TB treatment. Reports have suggested that CFU assays fail to detect the majority of viable M. tuberculosis cells in sputum samples from the majority of patients when the number of...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionFunctional Assessment of 2,177 U.S. and International Drugs Identifies the Quinoline Nitroxoline as a Potent Amoebicidal Agent against the Pathogen Balamuthia mandrillarisBalamuthia mandrillaris is responsible for hundreds of reported cases of amoebic encephalitis, the majority of which have been fatal. Despite being an exceptionally deadly pathogen, B. mandrillaris is understudied, leaving many open questions regarding epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment. Due to...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionA Bacteriophage T4 Nanoparticle-Based Dual Vaccine against Anthrax and PlagueFollowing the deadly anthrax attacks of 2001, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) determined that Bacillus anthracis and Yersinia pestis that cause anthrax and plague, respectively, are two Tier 1 select agents that pose the greatest threat to the national security of the United...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionArylvinylpiperazine Amides, a New Class of Potent Inhibitors Targeting QcrB of Mycobacterium tuberculosisNew drugs against Mycobacterium tuberculosis are urgently needed to deal with the current global TB pandemic. We report here on the discovery of a series of arylvinylpiperazine amides (AX-35 to AX-39) that represent a promising new family of compounds with potent in vitro and in vivo activities against...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionThe Multifaceted Antibacterial Mechanisms of the Pioneering Peptide Antibiotics Tyrocidine and Gramicidin SCyclic β-sheet decapeptides, such as tyrocidines and gramicidin S, were among the first antibiotics in clinical application. Although they have been used for such a long time, there is virtually no resistance to them, which has led to a renewed interest in this peptide class. Both tyrocidines and gramicidin S are thought to disrupt the bacterial membrane. However, this knowledge is mainly derived from in vitro studies, and...
- Commentary | Therapeutics and PreventionMosaic Drug Efflux Gene Sequences from Commensal Neisseria Can Lead to Low-Level Azithromycin Resistance Expressed by Neisseria gonorrhoeae Clinical Isolates
In a previous mBio article, Wadsworth and colleagues (mBio 9:e01419-18, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.01419-18) described Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates that express low levels of azithromycin (Azi) resistance. Whole-genome sequencing and bioinformatic analysis suggested that the isolates had acquired...
- Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionStructural Basis of Pan-Ebolavirus Neutralization by a Human Antibody against a Conserved, yet Cryptic Epitope
There are five different members of the Ebolavirus genus. Provision of vaccines and treatments able to protect against any of the five ebolaviruses is an important goal of public health. Antibodies are a desired result of vaccines and can be delivered directly as therapeutics. Most antibodies, however, are effective against only one or two, not all, of these pathogens. Only one human antibody has been thus far described to...