A paper just published in Nature Chemical Biology has identified a molecule that can prevent (or inhibit) bacteria, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis (causative agent of tuberculosis) and Yersinia pestis (causative agent of plague), from synthesizing siderophores. Siderophores are secreted iron-chelating compounds with an extremely high affinity for iron. The inhibitors of siderophore synthesis were rationally designed based on the mechanism of action of key enzymes in their biosynthesis. Importantly, these enzymes lack homologues in humans, so inhibitors are less likely to affect human cell physiology. Bacterial pathogens often use siderophores to acquire iron within the human body, where iron concentrations are typically too low to support bacterial growth. This exciting discovery should provide the basis for development of a new antibiotic that could be used to treat tuberculosis or multiply-resistant bacterial pathogens. Nature Chem. Biol.
An article published in the Lancet has revealed that regulations set by the World Bank and the IMF are preventing some countries from spending aid that has been targeted to them by global funding agencies. In one featured example, only US$18.6 million from the $201 million approved for Uganda from the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria was actually spent. To receive debt relief, countries are required to supply the IMF and World Bank with a poverty-reduction strategy, which must include spending ceilings for different activities. Any new funds that are not detailed in the budget submitted to the World Bank and IMF can only be used if the overall health budget is cut by the same amount as the new aid. This is a clear disincentive to accepting new donations in the countries that desperately need them. Lancet
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