LUBBOCK -- Texas Tech Medical Center researchers have discovered that interrupting bacteria cell communication may significantly reduce infections in burn wounds.
The discovery was supported by the Texas Higher Education Board, the Public Health Service and the U.S. Department of Education. The research was done by Abdul Hamood, Ph.D., and John Griswold, M.D., from Texas Tech Medical Center, and Barbara Iglewski, Ph.D., from the University of Rochester, Rochester, N.Y.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common bacterium that is potentially life-threatening to cystic fibrosis patients and severely burned patients. Traditionally, P. aeruginosa communicates cell-to-cell through chemical signaling molecules called autoinducers. But researchers found that introducing mutant P. aeruginosa bacteria into the system inhibited the bacteria's ability to work together and cause a systemic infection. By interrupting this cell-to-cell communication, known as quorum sensing, bacteria spread much more slowly to different sites on the burned skin.
"A possible application of this research may be to use synthetic autoinducers that resemble those from natural bacteria to block bacterial communication," Hamood said. "In an era of growing antibiotic resistance, finding novel ways to fight bacterial infections is imperative. Targeting bacterial communication to do this may prove to be a pioneering therapy."
Griswold added, "We certainly feel that quorum sensing is the explanation for how bacteria spread and cause infections in burn patients. This research now allows us to begin looking at therapeutic measures to reduce infection in burn and trauma patients, which is the primary killer for these patients."
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For more information, please contact the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Office of News and Publications at (806) 743-2143. Contact e-mail: [email protected]
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