Antibiotics are powerful, fast-acting medications designed to eradicate bacterial infections. However, in recent years, their dependability has waned as antibiotic resistant bacteria continues to evolve and spread.
Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of antibiotic resistance associated infections and deaths. It is also the most prevalent bacterial infection among those with diabetes mellitus, a chronic condition that affects blood sugar control and reduces the body’s ability to fight infections.
Microbiologists Brian Conlon, PhD, and Lance Thurlow, PhD, at the UNC School of Medicine have just shown that people with diabetes are more likely to develop antibiotic-resistant strains of Staph, too. Their results, which were published in Science Advances, show how the diabetic microbial environment produces resistant mutations, while hinting at ways antibiotic resistance can be combatted in this patient population.
We found that antibiotic resistance emerges much more rapidly in diabetic models than in non-diabetic models of disease. This interplay between bacteria and diabetes could be a major driver of the rapid evolution and spread of antibiotic resistance that we are seeing.”
Brian Conlon, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, UNC School of Medicine
Diabetes affects the body’s ability to control a type of sugar called glucose, often causing excess glucose to build up in the bloodstream. Staph feeds off these high sugar levels, allowing it to reproduce more rapidly. The bacterium can also grow without consequence, as diabetes also impairs the immune system’s ability to destroy cells and control infection.
As the numbers of bacteria increase