Keywords

infectious disease, antibacterial compounds, new antibiotics

Disciplines

Biology

Included in

Biology Commons

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Abstract

Despite advancements in many areas of human medicine, infectious disease continues to be a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Improper and excessive use of antibacterial compounds has led to the rise of resistant species of bacteria like Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci (VRE), and Extreme Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (XDR-TB). We have found a possible alternative that would replace the current ineffective treatment methods – a potentially new class of antibiotics that inhibits Gram-positive bacteria growth. These chemical compounds have shown inhibition against S. aureus and E. faecalis, so MRSA and VRE strains were then tested. Inhibition by the newly developed compounds was identical to their inhibition levels against non-resistant strains of both species. These carboxylic amide compounds are novel, non-Penicillin based antibiotics, and could be used to treat MRSA and other Gram-positive infections.