Source:
Researchers at the University of Dundee have
discovered an enzyme they believe has the potential to prevent Group A
Streptococcus infections that cause more than 5,00,000 casualties worldwide
every year. Group A Streptococcus can lead to illnesses such as strep
throat (bacterial infection), scarlet fever, sepsis and toxic shock
syndrome (a condition caused by bacterial toxins) as well as several
long-term autoimmune diseases with high mortality rates.
The breakthrough
The group of scientists headed by Dr Helge
Dorfmueller at the University's School of Life Sciences discovered an enzyme
that is required to produce carbohydrate on the surface of the streptococci
bacteria which helps it infect humans and animals alike. This provided the
researchers with a breakthrough to fight the Group-A Streptococcus
infections.
The fact that the newly-found enzyme, called
α-D-GlcNAc-β-1,4-L-rhamnosyltransferase, functions in a structured way and can be
found in other streptococcal bacteria, increases the relevance of this
particular research.
Strep throat is the most common illness caused by
Group-A Streptococcus infection and can often be tackled by the human body's
immune system. In addition to this, the very same bacteria could be the cause
of a plethora of fatal diseases such as sepsis and toxic shock syndrome,
said Dorfmueller.
The researchers also found that this enzyme
fulfills the same functions in other types of streptococcus infections which
includes Group-B Streptococci that can result in fatal infections in
newborn babies, and Group-C and G infections that are similar to Group A
infections (bacteremia and endocarditis) in human and animals.
Novel opportunity for drug discovery programmes
As per the findings of the study, which has been
published in the 'Journal of Biological Chemistry', the enzyme is neither
present in humans, nor in animals. This provides an opportunity to develop
new techniques and drugs to combat such infections and diseases.
Resistance to antimicrobial drugs is a major
issue in today's time, and existing antibiotics fail to work in around 20%
of strep throat cases. The main aim of the scientists involved in this
research is to develop new drugs that could fight illnesses caused by
Streptococci bacteria with minimal off-target effects.
