Seaweed Antibiotics?

Dan Gaffney writes "A new treatment for cholera and perhaps a new type of antibiotic medicine may emerge from compounds discovered in an Australian seaweed. University of New South Wales researchers have found that furanones - isolated from the seaweed Delisea pulchra - can prevent the bacteria that cause cholera from switching on their disease-causing mechanisms. Furanones don't kill such microbes but simply "jam" their ability to signal each other, meaning their use less likely to create the drug-resistance problems."

Comments

Drug Resistance

[ld_hrothgar]

If the Doctors would stop handing out antibiotics like it were candy (and the people would take them correctly! No more "I feel better so I'll SAVE the last three doses" crap) we wouldn't have a drug resistance problem in the first place.

Re:Drug Resistance

[ld_hrothgar]

I worked for several years as the office manager for a Medical Transcription service, I have several friends that are Medical Doctors and my girlfriend is in pre-med. I've seen the antibiotics flow like water around here where more and more people get drug resistant bugs every year.

Antibiotics

[bloodredsun]

The discovery of a new type of antibiotics is always welcome. The overuse of the common goups such as cephalosporins, and penicillins have contributed to bacterial resistance with the resulting appearance of bacteria such as MRSA.
It will be interesting to see how broad a spectrum these furanones will turn out to have or how well they are in combination with other drugs, as well as their pharmacokinetics and tolerance. This research looks positive but it's early days.
One point though, the poster should state their involvement in the study and also that of Biosignal.

Will this seaweed survive?

[Hamstij]

With other marine creatures in jeopardy due to environmental changes such as increased water temperate and over fishing, there would be some sort of poetic justice happening if this species of seaweed were to die out just as its uses become apparent to the great unwashed masses.

Wouldn't it be nice if its commercial value led to the preservation of the world's oceans and responsible use thereof rather than the currect practice of exploitation?

Well, I can dream.

Re:Aahh yes, a good flame war....

[Doc Ruby]

You are a clown. (It's not a flamewar until someone goes ad hominem.) It doesn't take a pharmacologist to see doctors prescribing antibiotics without restraint. Even doctors willing to break the "white wall" of silence lament how much harder their jobs are becoming. So you're spewing contrarian complaints without basis.