Researchers find treatments helped penicillin-type antibiotics to kill the common hospital infection<\/p>\n
Four common chemotherapy drugs could help traditional antibiotics treat one of the most common superbugs found in hospitals, a new study has found.<\/p>\n
MRSA infection is caused by a type of Staphylococcal bacteria that has become resistant to many of the antibiotics used to treat ordinary infections.<\/p>\n
Researchers in University of Galway investigated whether a range of anti-cancer drugs could help penicillin-type antibiotics to become effective again in the treatment of MRSA.<\/p>\n
They found that four therapies (5-fluorouracil; 5-fluororidine; gemcitabine; and mitomycin C) helped penicillin-type antibiotics to kill the infection. These drugs interfere with the bacteria\u2019s ability to make DNA, making the bacteria more vulnerable to the antibiotics.<\/p>\n
A fifth anti-cancer drug which was tested (6-thioguanine) had the opposite effect and reduced the effectiveness of the antibiotics. Although this drug also affects DNA production in MRSA, it works in a different way, which may explain the different effects.<\/p>\n
First author of the study, Dr Aaron Nolan, said the findings highlight \u2018the importance of carefully prescribing the most appropriate antibiotic in patients undergoing chemotherapy.\u2019<\/p>\n
Assistant professor in microbiology Dr Merve Zeden said: \u201cOur findings suggest that certain drugs originally developed for cancer treatment may have the potential to be repurposed alongside antibiotics. This could offer a new strategy to re-sensitise bacteria that have become resistant to existing treatments.\u201d<\/p>\n
The findings build on the team\u2019s ongoing research, which has identified the process of DNA production as a vulnerability in MRSA. By interfering with this process, some of the anti-cancer drugs tested in the study appear to make the bacteria more vulnerable to antibiotics.<\/p>\n
The discovery opens new avenues for research into combination therapies that pair antibiotics with non-antibiotic drugs. Such approaches could help extend the lifespan of existing antibiotics and provide new options for infections caused by bacteria resistant to traditional antibiotic treatments.<\/p>\n
Professor of microbiology at University of Galway, James O\u2019Gara, said: \u201cWe are excited by this discovery, which advances our long-term goal of finding new ways to boost the effectiveness of existing antibiotics against superbugs like MRSA.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause this approach relies on existing medications rather than developing completely new drugs, it could provide a faster route towards developing new strategies to improve patient care.\u201d<\/p>\n