Improving our knowledge on the host response to multidrug resistant bacteria. A key towards combatting superbugs and developing novel host-directed therapies

By Gaetan Burgio

superbugs bacteria infection antibiotics host response genetics host-pathogens interations host-directed therapies

Hospital acquired infections, mostly due to multi-drug resistant bacteria or “superbugs” are a growing concern and affects millions of patients every year worldwide. There is an urgent need to find novel treatment to improve the care of the hospitalized patients as bacteria are becoming resistant to all existing antibiotics. Unfortunately, there are limited resources to tackle these bacterial infections as the pharmaceutical industry has stopped developing novel antibiotics. This matter of urgency has been recently recognized from various countries (USA, UK…) and novel strategies are desperately needed.

In the general population, there are individual differences between humans that give some people an advantage in their ability to resist severe disease caused by infection. Similar to humans, some mouse strains or mouse mutants are resistant to bacterial infections.

The idea would be to determine the genetic mechanisms of resistance to "superbugs" in mice. If we can determine what causes this resistance to multi-drug resistance bacteria, it then we may be able to improve existing treatments. We will also be in a position to develop novel host-directed therapies against superbugs that would target the host rather than the bacteria. This would control the infection and improve the treatment of the diseases.

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