| Project Detail |
Understanding if the winner pays a price in antimicrobial resistance
Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) causes a number of infections including pneumonia and meningitis. Several multidrug-resistant strains have emerged whose resistance appears to be tied to mutations in an enzyme domain in three of its six penicillin-binding proteins. Interestingly, while these mutations impart antibacterial resistance, they do not appear to affect enzyme function. The enzyme is important in cell growth and division mediated by peptidoglycan biosynthesis. StreptoMANIAC plans to figure out if antimicrobial resistance in S. pneumoniae affects peptidoglycan biosynthesis and the cell cycle. Ultimately, scientists hope to determine the potential costs to S. pneumoniae of resisting antibiotic-induced death, or if it is a win-win situation. |
