Pitting pathogens against each other could prevent drug resistance emerging

Limiting the nutrient resources that pathogens depend on for replication could prevent the emergence of drug resistance, according to research findings. In a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists have taken advantage of the competition that occurs between host pathogens to achieve successful treatment of infection with existing drugs, even when drug-resistant pathogens were present. Drug resistance emerges when pathogens develop a genetic mutation that enables them to avoid being destroyed by a drug. However, these resistant pathogens often fail to acquire resources as efficiently as drug-sensitive pathogens or they may need more of the resource.