January 10, 2025, 4:27 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
If an antibiotic is taken often or for a long time, resistance can develop. This is because while the sensitive bacteria are killed off, resistant bacteria survive and multiply. Antibiotic resistance can have fatal consequences, especially in the case of life-threatening illnesses – but what can be done? One study suggests exposing yourself to a certain nutrient deficiency.
The formation of resistance means that an antibiotic loses its effectiveness. Conversely, this means that an infection with resistant pathogens is often more difficult to treat.1 In the case of diseases such as severe pneumonia or blood poisoning, the administration of antibiotics can be life-saving – but if they can no longer work due to resistance, this becomes problematic. For this reason, researchers are trying to reverse or treat resistance, and they have come across an interesting approach. A zinc deficiency can counteract antibiotic resistance.
Overview
Can Nutrient Stress Change Resistant Bacteria?
The scientists limited their study to particularly dangerous bacteria: Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, both of which are among the six deadliest and most drug-resistant bacterial pathogens.2 For this reason, they also limited their focus to specific antibiotics that are often used in conjunction with the aforementioned bacteria: carbapenems, which are often a last-resort treatment option. “Unfortunately, as with other antibiotics, their effectiveness is threatened by resistance genes for which there are no clinically available solutions,” explains Eric Brown, professor at McMaster University and head of the study, in a press release.3
Since the deprivation of various nutrients can lead to physiological changes in bacteria, the team looked at whether a certain nutrient deficiency might influence antibiotic resistance. The study focused on the trace element zinc. This is responsible for wound healing and immune defense in the body, among other things. “Over the last hundred years, scientists have usually studied bacteria under the most nutrient-rich conditions imaginable,” says Brown. “My lab has long had an interest in doing just the opposite: Studying bacteria under nutrient stress.”
Zinc Deficiency Leads to Weakness in Resistant Bacteria
Initially, the researchers exposed resistant bacteria to a zinc-deficient environment in a test tube. The scientists observed that the triggered nutrient stress reduced the growth of the bacteria. The experiments on mice yielded similar results. Furthermore, the zinc deficiency disrupted the outer membrane of the bacteria with antibiotic resistance, making them more susceptible to azithromycin. Azithromycin belongs to a different group of antibiotics that are frequently prescribed.
This observation shows that the defenses of bacteria with carbapenem antibiotic resistance are downgraded by a zinc deficiency but not completely suspended. As a result, the bacteria can still penetrate the carbapenems. However, in their weakened state, they are more susceptible to new treatments, for example, for azithromycin.
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Significance and Limitations of the Study
“Instead of identifying a new drug candidate to treat these antibiotic-resistant infections, we found a compromise that we can exploit with an existing drug,” said Megan Tu, a PhD student in Brown’s lab and first author of the study. This is because the ability of bacteria to resist carbapenems despite zinc deficiency comes with a so-called “fitness cost” or trade-off. This results in the bacteria becoming more susceptible to azithromycin. “This study is one of the rare cases that actually leads to a resounding conclusion. You can treat certain drug-resistant Kleb and Pseudomonas infections with azithromycin,” Brown explains.
Nevertheless, it should be noted that the study is based on serum samples and mouse models. This means that it cannot be completely guaranteed that the results actually apply to humans. Further studies must, therefore, be carried out to work out possible treatment options on this basis.
It is important to note that individuals should not intentionally induce a zinc deficiency based on these findings. This is because a general zinc deficiency throughout the body can lead to impaired wound healing, hair loss, and increased susceptibility to infections, among other things.