Scientists find secret 'switch' that lets bacteria resist antibiotics

Scientists have found a secret 'switch' that lets bacteria resist antibiotics — and it's been evading lab tests for decades | What's the difference between gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria? | How fast can antibiotic resistance evolve? Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( August 12, 2024 CONNECT WITH LIVESCIENCE  [Facebook]( [X](  [LIVESCIENCE]( Amazing science every day [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [WEBSITE](   Top Science News [] [Scientists have found a secret 'switch' that lets bacteria resist antibiotics — and it's been evading lab tests for decades]( (Illustration © Amanda Konishi 2024) [Scientists have found a secret 'switch' that lets bacteria resist antibiotics — and it's been evading lab tests for decades]( In 2021, a man in his 50s was transferred to the intensive care unit at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. He was in septic shock due to a bacterial infection that had spread to his bloodstream. The culprit? Klebsiella pneumoniae, which was resistant to most antibiotics. Finally, hope emerged: A two-week course of an antibiotic called cefiderocol seemed to clear the infection. But just 10 days later, the man was rushed back to the ICU, where doctors discovered a pus-filled mass covering his liver. The same bacteria had returned with a vengeance. The doctors sent the patient's blood sample to David Weiss, a microbiologist at Emory Antibiotic Resistance Center. Weiss discovered that the bacteria were now highly resistant to cefiderocol. He quickly notified the doctors. But even after switching antibiotics, the man died. The man's case highlights an elusive strategy that bacteria use in their arms race against antibiotics — a hidden type of resistance that can be switched on almost instantly but leaves no genetic trace. And it can be almost impossible to detect using standard lab tests. [Read More]( [] - [What's the difference between gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria?]( [] - [How fast can antibiotic resistance evolve?]( [] - [10 of the deadliest superbugs that scientists are worried about]( [] History & Archaeology [] ['Lord, make them die an awful death': Prisoner's dark pleas found etched into Roman-era prison]( (Harvey Meston via Getty Images) ['Lord, make them die an awful death': Prisoner's dark pleas found etched into Roman-era prison]( An archaeologist has identified the rare remains of a Roman prison in Corinth, Greece. [Read More]( [] Planet Earth [] [Fossils from Greenland's icy heart reveal it was a green tundra covered in flowers less than 1 million years ago]( (Juan Maria Coy Vergara via Getty Images) [Fossils from Greenland's icy heart reveal it was a green tundra covered in flowers less than 1 million years ago]( Greenland was almost completely ice-free at some point in the last one million years, fossilized flowers from a core sample taken from the center of the island reveal. [Read More]( [] Health [] [Cannabis use linked to head and neck cancer risk]( (Jamie Grill via Getty Images) [Cannabis use linked to head and neck cancer risk]( A new study that looked at 20 years of medical data from millions of people found a link between cannabis use and specific cancers. [Read More]( [] Animals [] [Evolution of snakes takes surprise twist — cobras didn't come from where we thought they did]( (dikkyoesin1 / Getty Images) [Evolution of snakes takes surprise twist — cobras didn't come from where we thought they did]( Ancient origins of cobras traced back to Asia, before jumping continents to spread across the world up to 37.5 million years ago. [Read More]( [] Technology [] [Google DeepMind can beat humans at table tennis]( (Google DeepMind) [Google DeepMind can beat humans at table tennis]( Google's DeepMind has been used to train a robot arm to play table tennis, and it beat human players. [Read More]( [] Daily Quiz [] How does the green heron hunt for its food? Learn the answer [here](. [Vote]( [It builds a trapdoor out of leaves]( [Vote]( [It snatches other birds out of the sky]( [Vote]( [It digs for worms with a specialized beak]( [Vote]( [It lures fish by dropping scraps of food in water](   [Sign Up]( | [Update Profile]( | [Unsubscribe]( [Privacy Policy]( | [Cookies Policy]( | [Terms and Conditions]( CONTACT US: [FEEDBACK](mailto:livescience@smartbrief.com) | [ADVERTISE]( [Future]( Future US LLC © Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036