Immune-boosting therapy shows promise against superbugs: study

SYDNEY, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Researchers in Australia have identified a potential new way to combat drug-resistant bacterial infections by boosting the body's own immune response, offering a promising alternative to antibiotics.

A study led by Australia's University of Queensland (UQ) found that immune cells activate a process known as mitochondrial fission -- where mitochondria split into smaller units -- to kill invading bacteria, said a UQ statement released Friday.

However, some bacteria have evolved strategies to block this process, allowing infections to persist, said James Curson from UQ's Institute for Molecular Bioscience, co-author of the study published in the journal Science Immunology.

The researchers discovered that an experimental compound, known as an HDAC6 inhibitor, can re-activate mitochondrial fission in immune cells to fight invading bacteria, Curson said.

"This treatment works by modifying the body's immune response to support mitochondrial fission, enabling it to fight bacteria without targeting bacteria directly, like antibiotics," he added.

The study showed that bacterial infection induces mitochondrial fission, which in turn activates the body's intracellular energy reserves to accumulate antimicrobial lipid droplets -- defense mechanisms that help fight off infections.

Agents called host-directed therapies (HDTs) could help address "the global burden of antibiotic-resistant bacteria," identified by the World Health Organization as a top global public health threat, Curson said.

Researchers said bacteria resistant to multiple antibiotics, often called "superbugs," are very difficult to treat and new approaches like HDTs are urgently needed to combat these infections.