Science

12986 readers

11 users here now

Subscribe to see new publications and popular science coverage of current research on your homepage

founded 5 years ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

Dual-action antibiotic could make bacterial resistance nearly impossible (today.uic.edu)

submitted 1 month ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

6 comments fedilink hide all child comments

top 6 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago

"Nearly" does heavy lifting here.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Because bacteria would need to implement defenses to both attacks simultaneously, the researchers calculated that drug resistance is nearly impossible.

I'm no expert by any means, but I do know that several genetic failsafes have to be overcome simultaneously for you to develop cancer, so I don't see why it would be nearly impossible for bacteria to overcome only two things at once.

[–] Apytele 6 points 1 month ago

I guess somebody decided "makes antibiotic resistance a lot less likely" was too unweildy for the headline.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

Tuberculosis is treated by a combination of drugs for the same reason and yet the bacteria still develops resistance.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

Nearly does a lot of work in that headline.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

So like...is this new breakthrough just taking two different antibiotics for the same disease? Am I missing something?