Most antibiotics are double-edged swords. Besides killing the pathogen they are prescribed for, they also decimate beneficial bacteria and change the composition of the gut microbiome. As a result, patients become more prone to reinfection, and drug-resistant strains are more likely to emerge.
The answer to this problem might be narrow-spectrum antibiotics that kill only one or a few species of bacteria, minimizing the risk of collateral damage. In a recent study, Rockefeller scientists took a close look at one such antibiotic, fidaxomicin, used to treat Clostridium difficile, or C. diff, one of the most common healthcare associated infections. The researchers demonstrated at a molecular level how fidaxomicin selectively targets C. diff while sparing the innocent bacterial bystanders.
The findings, detailed in Nature, might help scientists in the race to develop new narrow-spectrum…
