Scientists at The University of Nottingham are leading a major 3 million euro, 3 year study to unravel the genetic code of one of the most lethal strains of hospital acquired infections, Clostridium difficile.
They hope to use gene knock-out technology study the function of genes in this bacteria and hopefully get some answers, like why C.difficile is harder to eradicate and more resistant to antibiotics.
One scientist stated that “worryingly,” there are only two antibiotics still effective against these hypervirulent organisms. The fact that there is a “very real danger that total resistance may arise” is extremely serious.
The scientists hope the studies will point out genome differences between this strain and its less virulent cousins; this way, they can understand its spread and the way it causes disease. If you are interested in reading more about how the study will work, click here.
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