SAN DIEGO, July 19, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Trius Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:TSRX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative antibiotics for life-threatening infections, today announced new research that provides an explanation for the recent spread and the future threat of a little known multidrug resistant strain of Staphylococcus aureus. Researchers found that bacteria that acquire a multidrug resistance gene called the cfr gene are able to grow and spread at a similar rate compared to Staphylococcus aureus that do not carry the multidrug resistance gene. Usually, bacteria that acquire drug resistance do so at what scientists call a "fitness cost" in which the bacteria grow more slowly than bacteria without the resistance trait, providing somewhat of a natural check from keeping the resistant bacteria from spreading out of control. This latest research indicates that Staphylococcus aureus bacteria carrying the cfr multidrug resistance gene pose a potential threat as an emerging superbug.
