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51 ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE & STEWARDSHIP Synthesized antibiotic successfully treats superbug infection for first time By Brian Zimmerman R esearchers synthesized the naturally occurring antibiotic, teixo- bactin, replicated it and used the substance to treat superbug infections in mice, according to a study published in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. American scientists first discovered teixobactin in soil in 2015. The dis- covery was considered a potential game-changer in the fight against the spread of antibiotic resistance. Researchers with the University of Lincoln in the United Kingdom synthesized teixobactin by replacing certain ami- no acids in its structure to make the antibiotic easy to replicate. The synthetic version of the antibiotic proved effective against vanco- mycin-resistant enterococci and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the laboratory setting. The antibiotic also proved effective at treating S. aureus keratitis corneal infections in mice, marking the first time teixobactin has been used to treat an infection in a living organism. "Translating our success with these simplified synthetic versions from test tubes to real cases is a quantum jump in the development of new antibiotics, and brings us closer to realizing the therapeutic potential of simplified teixobactins," said Ishwar Singh, PhD, a specialist in novel drug design and development from the University of Lincoln's School of Pharmacy. "A significant amount of work remains in the develop- ment of teixobactin as a therapeutic antibiotic for human use — we are probably around six to 10 years off a drug that doctors can prescribe to patients — but this is a real step in the right direction." n Alcohol misuse, HIV linked to unsuccessful treatment of multidrug- resistant TB By Anuja Vaidya A study published in Scientific Reports examined the impact of co- morbidities on treatment outcomes for multidrug resistant and extensively drug resistant tuberculosis. Researchers searched Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central Registrar and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews to find eligible stud- ies. They performed a meta-analysis to generate a pooled relative risk for unsuccessful outcome in multidrug resistant and extensively drug resistant TB treatment by comorbidity. Of 2,457 studies identified, 48 studied with 18,257 participants were included in the final analysis. The study showed pooled relative risk of an unsuccessful outcome was higher among people infected with HIV and those with alcohol misuse issues. However, outcomes were similar in people with diabetes or smokers. "Further research is required to understand the role of comorbidities in driving unsuccessful treatment outcomes," study authors noted. n Health officials confirm first super-resistant gonorrhea infection By Brian Zimmerman O fficials with Public Health England iden- tified a gonorrhea infection with a strain completely resistant to the antibiotics typically used to treat the illness. Here are four things to know. 1. Health officials identified the case in a man who sought medical treatment in England aer develop- ing symptoms of gonorrhea a month aer having sexual contact with a woman in Southeast Asia. Health workers treated the man with azithromycin and ceriaxone, but subsequent testing revealed the treatments failed. "is is the first time a case has displayed such high-level resistance to both of these drugs and to most other commonly used antibiotics," said Gwen- da Hughes, PhD, consultant scientist and head of the sexually transmitted infection section at Public Health England. 2. e patient is currently being treated intravenous- ly with the antibiotic ertapenem, which preliminary tests indicate may be working. Health officials planned to test him for the infection again in April. 3. News of the infection comes on the heels of warn- ings from public health officials around the world re- garding the infection's growing resistance to antibiotics. "is report is one more confirmation of our greatest fear: drug-resistant gonorrhea spreading around the globe," said David Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors, according to CNN. "Here in the U.S. and around the globe, we have to take drug-resistant gonorrhea seriously in order to invest in finding new cures and preventing infections. Working together, funding must be radically increased to combat this and other life-threatening STDs." 4. Gonorrhea is caused by the bacteria Neisseria gon- orrhoeae and is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in the world, affecting about 820,000 people annually in the U.S. alone, according to the CDC. n