Summary:

There is an urgent need for new antibiotics as resistance to currently available drugs is growing. Researchers at The Ohio State University have identified a novel antimicrobial agent, paenibacillin, from a newly identified bacterial strain. The newly identified compound has potential for use against drug resistant pathogens. The compound was isolated from Paenibacillus polymyxa and identified as a novel member of the lantibiotic class of antibiotics. Lantiotics have been known and used for many years in food production; their instability at higher physiological pH has historically made them unsuitable for medical use. Over 50 years of use in the food industry has not developed known drug resistance. The newly discovered compound contains a much more highly modified peptide than other lantibiotics and has shown increased thermal and alkaline stability and excellent water solubility that may make it suitable for medical therapeutic use. Paenibacillin has been shown to have considerable antimicrobial potency against numerous Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including food-borne and antibiotic-resistant pathogens.

Potential Applications:

• Pharmaceutical use against drug resistant bacteria
• Food industry
• Animal Feed