Researchers discover enzyme that may prevent streptococci infections

Researchers at the University of Dundee have discovered an enzyme they believe has the potential to prevent Group A Streptococcus infections that cause more than 5,00,000 casualties worldwide every year. Group A Streptococcus can lead to illnesses such as strep throat (bacterial infection), scarlet fever, sepsis and toxic shock syndrome (a condition caused by bacterial toxins) as well as several long-term autoimmune diseases with high mortality rates.

The breakthrough

The group of scientists headed by Dr Helge Dorfmueller at the University's School of Life Sciences discovered an enzyme that is required to produce carbohydrate on the surface of the streptococci bacteria which helps it infect humans and animals alike. This provided the researchers with a breakthrough to fight the Group-A Streptococcus infections. 

The fact that the newly-found enzyme, called α-D-GlcNAc-β-1,4-L-rhamnosyltransferase, functions in a structured way and can be found in other streptococcal bacteria, increases the relevance of this particular research.

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Strep throat is the most common illness caused by Group-A Streptococcus infection and can often be tackled by the human body's immune system. In addition to this, the very same bacteria could be the cause of a plethora of fatal diseases such as sepsis and toxic shock syndrome, said Dorfmueller.

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The researchers also found that this enzyme fulfills the same functions in other types of streptococcus infections which includes Group-B Streptococci that can result in fatal infections in newborn babies, and Group-C and G infections that are similar to Group A infections (bacteremia and endocarditis) in human and animals. 

Novel opportunity for drug discovery programmes

As per the findings of the study, which has been published in the 'Journal of Biological Chemistry', the enzyme is neither present in humans, nor in animals. This provides an opportunity to develop new techniques and drugs to combat such infections and diseases. 

Resistance to antimicrobial drugs is a major issue in today's time, and existing antibiotics fail to work in around 20% of strep throat cases. The main aim of the scientists involved in this research is to develop new drugs that could fight illnesses caused by Streptococci bacteria with minimal off-target effects.

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