Health and Fitness.---New drug that kills superbugs.

New drug that kills deadly superbugs in less than 5 minutes

PTI, Sep 20, 2010, 02.26am IST
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LONDON: British scientists claim to have achieved a major breakthrough by developing a drug which could kill deadly superbugs like C-diff and MRSA. 

C-Diff or Clostridium difficile is a life-threatening bacterium that causes diarrhoea and intestinal problems, while MRSA or Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus causes a number of difficult-to-treat infections in humans. Both are acquired by patients in hospitals. 

Now, a British team has claimed the new anti-bacterial drug, codenamed XF-73, can eradicate the superbugs within five minutes, which means that deadly bacteria have little chance of developing any resistance to it. 

The scientists believe XF-73 could be used to prevent the spread of infection on hospital wards within three years, the Daily Express reported. During tests, carriers of superbug bacteria had XF-73 gel placed inside their noses. The bugs were eradicated with no side effects, and MRSA did not show any resistance to the new drug in clinical tests even after 55 repeat exposures. 

In fact, F-73 works differently from antibiotics by breaking down cell walls and causing the rapid loss of its vital contents. Antibiotics act by destroying specific parts of bacteria to disable them, a process that takes much longer.
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(Read more: New drug that kills deadly superbugs in less than 5 minutes - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/New-drug-that-kills-deadly-superbugs-in-less-than-5-minutes/articleshow/6588419.cms#ixzz109LSkVy6)