LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Researchers at Monash University in Melbourne say that an antibacterial viral protein called PlyC could be used in lieu of antibiotics. First identified as a possible treatment for infections in 1925, research was later abandoned following the discovery of antibiotics.
 
Studying the structure of the protein for six long years with colleagues at the Rockefeller University and University of Maryland, Australian researchers have since learned how it kills the bacteria that cause sore throats, pneumonia and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome.
 
Dr. Sheena McGowan from Monash University has described the protein as a potent bacterial killing machine that "resembles a flying saucer carrying a pair of warheads."
 
PlyC works by locking onto the surface of the bacterium and then boring though the exterior to destroy it. McGowan says this could be a lifesaver when such conditions such as pneumonia do not respond to traditional treatments.
 
"There [are] antibiotics at the moment for those particular types of diseases. We sort of see that there's a bit of resistance being built up in the bacterial community almost, and some of our antibiotics aren't quite as effective as they used to be," McGowan said.

"So this kind of ground route, basic research needs to be done quite early so that we have some time to develop them as safe human therapeutic over the timeframe when the antibiotics can keep working."
 
Australian and U.S. researchers have been decoding PlyC's atomic structure, crucial in developing the protein into a drug.
 
The recent breakthrough has since been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.
 
However, an efficacious human treatment delivered by nasal spray or pill is thought to be at least a decade away. Scientists have had success in treating streptococcal infections in mice.

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