MRSA's Double Defense Against Antibiotics

Scientists have discovered the mechanism that causes the superbug Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) to become highly resistant to antibiotics, paving the way for new approaches to control infectious diseases.

Researchers from the University of Sheffield have discovered that the superbug Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) requires two mechanisms to survive exposure to high levels of antibiotics.
In addition to the established route that uses a new enzyme to make cell walls, MRSA has also developed an alternative division mechanism that allows it to multiply in the presence of antibiotics.
MRSA is an AMR superbacterium that poses a serious medical problem and causes more than 120,000 deaths annually
The next step in the research will be to develop inhibitors that can target the new survival strategy of MRSA

Scientists have discovered the mechanism that makes the superbug Methicillin Resistant possible Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) will become highly resistant to antibiotics, paving the way for new approaches to control infectious diseases.

MRSA is an antimicrobial resistance (AMR) superbug that causes more than 120,000 deaths annually. Given the urgent need for new, more effective antibiotics and the lack of MRSA vaccines, understanding and combating the superbug is crucial.

The new research, led by the University of Sheffield, shows that MRSA has a dual defense mechanism against antibiotics. This new insight offers hope in the treatment of the life-threatening superbug and other infectious diseases.

Bacteria, such as MRSA, have mesh-like cell walls around them that require enzymes to bond them together. The enzymes are targets for antibiotics such as penicillin and methicillin. This type of antibiotic has saved millions of lives in recent decades.

It has been known for years that in order to be resistant, MRSA has acquired a new cell wall enzyme that allows it to survive exposure to antibiotics. However, the Sheffield researchers have discovered that this alone is insufficient for survival.

The new study shows that MRSA has also developed an alternative division mechanism that allows it to multiply in the presence of antibiotics. This previously unknown mechanism is essential for MRSA resistance. By understanding the details of this process, researchers are working to develop inhibitors that can target MRSA’s new survival strategy.

Professor Simon Foster from the University of Sheffield’s School of Biosciences said: “This research is very exciting because it has not only uncovered a new mechanism for MRSA that was hiding in plain sight, but also the bacteria’s ability to divide in an alternative way.

“These findings have important implications for the development of new antibiotics, but also for understanding the fundamental principles underlying the growth and division of bacteria.

“This will provide new ways to tackle this dangerous infectious organism.”

Professor Jamie Hobbs from the University of Sheffield’s School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences said: “This is a fantastic example of how physics and biology can be brought together to understand the urgent societal challenge of antimicrobial resistance. We could not have made these discoveries without this synergy, merging world-leading microscopy with genetics and microbiology.

“Our research demonstrates the power of an interdisciplinary approach to address the basic mechanisms that underpin the physics of life and are of such importance to healthcare.”

The next step for this research is to determine how MRSA can grow and divide in the presence of antibiotics using the new mechanism discovered. This research involves a multidisciplinary collaboration, led by the University of Sheffield with international partners and funded by Wellcome and UK Research and Innovation.

View the full document: Two interdependent pathways lead to high-level MRSA published in the magazine Science