Bacteria Evolve New Ribosome Strategy to Resist Antibiotics

Researchers uncover how E. coli modifies ribosomes to evade widely used drugs, revealing a novel mechanism of antibiotic resistance.

A study published in Nature Communications shows E. coli bacteria modify ribosomes when exposed to antibiotics like streptomycin and kasugamycin.
The bacteria shed specific chemical tags on ribosomal RNA, altering drug-binding sites and reducing the effectiveness of antibiotics.
This adaptation represents a novel resistance mechanism, differing from DNA mutations or expelling antibiotics from cells.
Advanced nanopore sequencing technology enabled researchers to observe these ribosomal changes in their natural state for the first time.
The findings highlight a potential path for developing new treatments to combat antibiotic resistance, a growing global health crisis projected to cause millions of deaths by 2050.