Reviving an Old Antibiotic to Combat Superbugs.

A forgotten antibiotic called streptothricin, which was abandoned due to its toxicity to human kidneys, could be a solution to the emerging threat of drug-resistant superbugs. Researchers have now established that one of its compounds, called S-F, is highly effective at killing drug-resistant gram-negative bacteria but at concentrations that are not toxic. S-F managed to kill off a strain of bacteria that has proved resistant to numerous existing drugs, all with minimal to no toxicity. Researchers are exploring how to enhance natural streptothricins to work even better as superbug killers.