M. DINESH VARMA / the hINDU.
Scientists at the Tuberculosis Research Centre (TRC) here have hit upon a new molecule with anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties that could potentially lead to a better drug for the treatment of TB and common HIV sub-types.
The team at TRC extracted the molecule “Transitmycin” from the marine microorganism “Streptomyces sp. isolated from a soil sample off the Rameswaram coral reef.
The brominated and pigmented (yellow) anti-biotic was found effective during in vitro tests against dormant and active forms of Mycobacterium tuberculosis -- the pathogen that triggers one of the leading infectious diseases world-wide.
“The significance of the discovery of this molecule is that it comes at a time when there is virtually nothing to offer to patients developing multi-drug resistance to an otherwise effective second-generation drug like Rifampicin,” said Vanaja Kumar, Head of Bacteriology at TRC, Chennai.
In its latest report, ‘Global Tuberculosis Control 2010’, the World Health Organisation (WHO) notes that although there were significant improvements in tackling the disease, new forms of multi-drug-resistant TB were causing havoc in countries like Russia, China and India.
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