earticle

영어

Joseph Bigger discovered more than 60 years ago, at the very beginning of the antibiotic era, that populations of homogenous antibiotic-sensitive bacteria contained a very small fraction of antibiotic-tolerant cells. Accumulating evidence suggests that these disparate phenomena result from the ability of bacteria to enter into a dormant state. These non-dividing cells, persisters, are different from antibiotic-resistant mutants in that their antibiotic tolerance is non-heritable and reversible. Clinically, persisting bacterial pathogens is known to cause secondary infection. We screened for novel substances that kill the persister cell which survived despite the excessive antibiotic. For the inhibition of bacterial persistence, we screened 6,800 compounds in chemical library, 9 hits were selected. After batch test, ultimately 4 chemical compounds were nominated for inhibitor of bacterial persistence. And one chemical is absolutely kill the persister with norfloxacin. The dramatic evolution of resistance after the introduction of antibiotics now threatens our society with a post-antibiotic era. We suggest it is very important that partnering a traditional antibiotic with a drug that prevents bacteria from evolving resistance or from persisting during treatment might dramatically improve the therapy and protect the efficacy of these precious drugs.