Tuberculosis and antibiotic resistance: researchers in Lille invent a new prototype drug

Lille researchers (Inserm, University of Lille, Pasteur Institute of Lille, CNRS) * invented a prototype drug (SMARt-420 **) capable of suppressing resistance to ethionamide, an antibiotic used to treat tuberculosis. This work is published in the journal Science *** dated March 17, 2017 and opens a new way in the fight against resistance to antibiotics.

Antibiotic resistance, a major global health issue Antibiotics are universally regarded as one of the greatest medical advances of the twentieth century. They have transformed human health by allowing the cure of previously severe or life-threatening infections. They are also essential for patients particularly vulnerable to infections such as those with certain cancers or diabetes, persons receiving organ transplants, or undergoing surgical procedures.

Tuberculosis is a bacterial disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), which is transmitted by air and mainly affects the lungs. The treatment of tuberculosis combines several antibiotics over a period of six months. The continuing increase in the number of strains of antibiotic-resistant Mtb is particularly worrying. In 2016, of the 10 million new cases of tuberculosis reported worldwide, 500,000 were considered multiresistant to antibiotics, causing the death toll of one in every two patients.