CHICAGO, (Reuters) – Scientists have discovered how bacteria fend off a wide range of antibiotics, and blocking that defense mechanism could give existing antibiotics more power to fight dangerous infections.
Researchers at New York University said yesterday that bacteria produce certain nitric oxide-producing enzymes to resist antibiotics.
Drugs that inhibit these enzymes can make antibiotics much more potent, making even deadly superbugs like Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA succumb, they said.