With winter hard upon us here in the Northern Hemisphere,
our thoughts often turn to colds and flu—those usually temporary, if miserable
afflictions. While we humans are only too aware of our frailty against
microscopic invaders, we sometimes forget that they can still be lethal.
Likewise, we sometimes lose sight of the fact that lethal infections can also
affect our smallest animal friends, such as the honeybee.
Which brings us to two very different lethal infections:
CRE (carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae) and TRSV (tobacco ringspot
virus).
First, let’s unpack the term “CRE.” So-called beta-lactam
antibiotics (and this includes many common ones such as penicillin and its
derivatives) all contain a structure referred to as a beta-lactam ring in their
molecule. They kill the bugs by inhibiting synthesis of the cell wall. However,
some bacteria produce the enzyme beta-lactamase, which breaks down the ring,
and therefore the antibiotic itself. Interestingly, the enzyme has been around
since the dawn of time, and is not specifically an adaptation to the
antibiotics.
Now, carbapenems are a type of antibiotic that can foil
the beta-lactamase enzyme, owing to a carbon atom being substituted for a
sulfur atom in the ring. Enterobacteriacae is a family of bacteria that
includes Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. For several years,
carbapenems have been used as the antibiotic of last resort for infections of
Enterobacteriacae…..To Read More….
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