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"  This year&amp;#039;s E. coli outbreak sickened more than 3900 victims and killed 52 people in Europe and North America. Complicating treatment, the rare strain proved resistant to antibiotics. For seven decades, humanity&amp;#039;s primary weapons against harmful bacteria such as certain strains of Escherichia coli have been other organisms. For example, penicillin is naturally produced by a mold that kills bacteria\u2014it introduces a compound that breaks down the harmful microorganism&amp;#039;s cell walls. But, because the targeted bacteria have evolved to defend themselves against naturally occurring antibiotics, researchers are crafting new, lethal synthetic remedies to fight drug-resistant bacteria.  Top Bacterial Threats to Our Food Supply*    Bacteria   Hospitalizations    Salmonella 19,336   Campylobacter 8463   T. Gondii 4428   E. coli O157 2138   *Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2011 estimates New Weapons of an Unseen War Proteins Lawrence Livermore National Lab Researchers in California have turned E. coli&amp;#039;s internal processes against it. Lead researcher Paul Jackson found that a purified form of lytic protein, used by the bacteria to prick small holes in their own cell walls before multiplying, could become a weapon. &amp;quot;Rather than trying to come up with a [new] pathway, we are looking at the pathways that the bacteria already have,&amp;quot; Jackson says. These proteins are unique to each species, so the purified form will leave nearby cells unharmed. Polymers Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology Antibiotics often attack bacteria from inside\u2014but survivors can develop resistance. To break this cycle, researchers from IBN and IBM Almaden Research Center have engineered nanoscale polymers that, like peptides found in the human body, destroy harmful bacteria by damaging cellular walls. &amp;quot;The polymers are emulating our own immune system,&amp;quot; Jim Hedrick, study co-director, says. The polymers are biodegradable; once their job is done the human body naturally expels them. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/a11809/new-ways-to-kill-drug-resistant-bacteria/>