Thanks for the question! I don’t know the exact mechanism. Generally speaking, if you have a cocktail of antibiotic drugs, salmonella is less likely to develop resistance. Multiple drugs, say a combination of melittin and ampicillin, could target the cell in different ways. Because each drug has a different target, cell death is more likely to occur and the cell will not become resistant to the drug as quickly.
Is there a specific reason why you would want to look at MRSA or is that just an example of another bacteria? How effective do you think melittin could be in other bacteria, just postulating?
Thank you for your question! MRSA is simply another example of bacteria that rapidly develop antibiotic resistance. If we knew and understood the specific mechanism and what melittin is acting on in the cell, it would be easier to say what other types of bacteria melittin could be effective against. In general, I think melittin could be effective against any bacteria that has at least a semi permeable membrane, as melittin most likely enters the cell through by increasing membrane permeability.
Awesome Presentation Casey! I thought it was very interesting that this compound can be found in honeybee venom. Is this specific to honeybees only? Also why did you choose this compound specifically?
Thank you for your question! From what I have read, melittin is specific to honeybees. Although, it primarily is found in honeybee venom, it can also be found in the tissues of honeybees that have been infected by pathogens.
We chose melittin after reading a journal article discussing its effectiveness in killing salmonella typhimurium in pigs. We believed the antibiotic properties could have applications in humans.
Excellent presentation! I was wondering how the properties of Melittin could be used in a compound cocktail to target resistant bacteria.
Thanks for the question! I don’t know the exact mechanism. Generally speaking, if you have a cocktail of antibiotic drugs, salmonella is less likely to develop resistance. Multiple drugs, say a combination of melittin and ampicillin, could target the cell in different ways. Because each drug has a different target, cell death is more likely to occur and the cell will not become resistant to the drug as quickly.
Is there a specific reason why you would want to look at MRSA or is that just an example of another bacteria? How effective do you think melittin could be in other bacteria, just postulating?
Thank you for your question! MRSA is simply another example of bacteria that rapidly develop antibiotic resistance. If we knew and understood the specific mechanism and what melittin is acting on in the cell, it would be easier to say what other types of bacteria melittin could be effective against. In general, I think melittin could be effective against any bacteria that has at least a semi permeable membrane, as melittin most likely enters the cell through by increasing membrane permeability.
Awesome Presentation Casey! I thought it was very interesting that this compound can be found in honeybee venom. Is this specific to honeybees only? Also why did you choose this compound specifically?
Thank you for your question! From what I have read, melittin is specific to honeybees. Although, it primarily is found in honeybee venom, it can also be found in the tissues of honeybees that have been infected by pathogens.
We chose melittin after reading a journal article discussing its effectiveness in killing salmonella typhimurium in pigs. We believed the antibiotic properties could have applications in humans.
What caused the assumption that meletain would kill everything in the well?