Scientists from Leiden have developed a new antibiotic called EVG7 that can fight dangerous intestinal bacteria C. difficile Use only very small amounts. The treatment also appears to significantly reduce the chance of infections returning, a common problem with current antibiotics. The findings were reported in the journal Nature Communications.
C. difficile is a stubborn intestinal bacterium that can cause serious illness, especially in older adults and people with compromised health. It releases toxins in the intestines that cause severe diarrhea and inflammation. Antibiotics are commonly used to treat infections, but many patients experience recurrence after treatment.
The experimental antibiotic EVG7 was created by Professor Nathaniel Martin’s research group at the Leiden Institute of Biology (IBL). The drug is designed as a more powerful and efficient version of the widely used antibiotic vancomycin.
“With existing antibiotics, C. difficile In some cases, relapse can occur just a few weeks after treatment,” says researcher and lead author Elma Mons. This is partly because the bacteria form spores that can survive treatment and later grow into new bacteria, causing the infection to return.
Low doses of antibiotics have powerful effects
Mons and her colleagues studied the effects of EVG7. C. difficile Infection of mice. Because this drug is much more potent than vancomycin, the researchers tested it at much lower doses. The results were remarkable. Mice treated with low doses of EVG7 were much less likely to relapse.
Other combinations didn’t work as well. Reducing the dose of vancomycin did not prevent recurrence, and increasing the dose of EVG7 had weak results. Researchers found that low doses of EVG7 produced the best results.
Protect your gut microbiome
To understand why low doses were so effective, the researchers analyzed the microbiomes of treated mice. The microbiome refers to the community of bacteria that naturally lives in your gut. Mice treated with small amounts of EVG7 retained far more beneficial bacteria, especially those from the Lachnospiraceae family.
“Those bacteria actually C. difficile” says Mons.
In contrast, many existing antibiotics wipe out a large portion of the microbiome, which contains the beneficial microorganisms that support gut health. EVG7 appears to leave most of these protective bacteria intact. These microorganisms help prevent leftover spores from growing into something harmful. C. difficile Bacteria develop and cause other infections. “This approach fits in with a growing trend among doctors to preserve the microbiome as much as possible,” Mons explains.
Reduced risk of antibiotic resistance
Reducing antibiotic use may raise concerns about antibiotic resistance. “This is what happens when you don’t completely kill the bacteria, you just stimulate them,” Mons says. “Then they can come back even stronger.”
According to researchers, EVG7 does not appear to have such issues. Even at low doses, this drug is powerful enough to eliminate it effectively. C. difficile. Early findings also suggest that antibiotics are less likely to cause resistance.
Next steps towards human trials
Mons hopes funding will become available to further the research. Before testing the drug on humans, scientists must first complete toxicity studies. If these studies are successful, clinical trials could begin within a few years.
“But that means finding investors,” she added. “In the case of antibiotics, it’s not so easy. The profits that pharmaceutical companies make on antibiotics are much less than they would be on, say, antibiotics, so the interest is limited.”
Despite these challenges, researchers believe EVG7 could eventually become a major treatment. C. difficile infection. “If a patient relapses and needs to be hospitalized again, it’s costly,” Mons points out.
Paper “Experimental glycopeptide antibiotic EVG7 prevents recurrence” clostridioides difficile infection by surviving members of the Lachnospiraceae family. nature communications. This research included collaboration with the groups of Wiep Klaas Smits (Leiden University Medical Center) and Casey Theriot (North Carolina State University).
