ИСТИНА

Changes in microbiota composition can promote infection by pathogenic bacteria. Nowadays, antibiotic administration is considered the best option to cure bacterial infections. However, the spread of antibiotic resistance remains one of the major concerns for modern medicine. One promising solution is the discovery of new antibacterial compounds selectively acting against pathogenic microflora. Here, we present an optimized workflow aimed at intensifying the search for new antibiotics. Since there are two major sources of new compounds – actinomycetes strains and chemical synthesis – we have developed two strategies. The first strategy starts with the isolation of soil bacteria, and screening them for new antibiotic-producing strains, followed by purification and identification of active compounds [1]. The second strategy utilizes a high-throughput screening of chemically synthesized substances for antimicrobial activity [2]. In both cases, we test the compounds against antibiotic-sensitive Escherichia coli cells transformed with the dual reporter system pDualrep2, which enables to sort out substances by their mechanism of action. Promising samples are then subjected to validation of their activity against a panel of clinically isolated bacterial strains. Thus, we demonstrate a comprehensive approach as an effective tool to increase the productivity of screening for new antibiotics aimed at combating microbial infections.