Researchers in South East Asia have identified a novel mechanism
whereby the organism Burkholderia pseudomallei – the cause of
melioidosis, a neglected tropical infectious disease – develops
resistance to ceftazidime, the standard antibiotic treatment.
The change also makes the drug-resistant bacterium difficult to
detect. B. pseudomallei is found in water and soil predominately
in tropical climates and especially in South East Asia. It can
infect both humans and animals and causes melioidosis. The
disease often occurs in people who have underlying diseases such
as type 2 diabetes or renal disease. Symptoms range from
relatively mild to severe, and the mortality rate in Asia is as
high as four out of ten cases. Infection is treated using
ceftazidime, a third-generation cephalosporin β-lactam
antibiotic, which is a derivative of penicillin. This drug is
often required for several weeks, during which the bacteria may
develop resistance to it. Now, in a paper published in the
Proceedings of the National Academy