New Effects of Macrolides on Pneumococcal Infections Discovered: Could Lead to Developing New Pneumonia Treatments

September 17, 2021

A research team led by Associate Professor DOMON Hisanori and Professor TERAO Yutaka in the Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, discovered that clarithromycin, a macrolide antibiotics*, suppresses the release of pneumococcal toxins and would prevent the aggravation of pneumonia. The team aims to develop new therapeutic agents for pneumonia based on this research. The results of this research were published electronically on September 1, 2021 in Microbiology Spectrum, the American Society for Microbiology journal.

* Macrolide antibiotics: An antibacterial drug due to suppressing bacterial protein synthesis

Research Results

  • Antibiotic-resistant pneumococci is a rising public health threat.
  • Macrolide antibiotics have been reported to be effective against pneumococcal infections.
  • In this study, clarithromycin, a macrolide antibiotics, was discovered to suppress the pneumococcal toxin release.
  • The research result may lead to new pneumonia treatments targeting pneumococcal toxin.

Publication Details

Journal: Microbiology Spectrum
Title: Clarithromycin Inhibits Pneumolysin Production via Downregulation of ply Gene Transcription despite Autolysis Activation
Authors: Hisanori Domon, Toshihito Isono, Takumi Hiyoshi, Hikaru Tamura, Karin Sasagawa, Tomoki Maekawa, Satoru Hirayama, Katsunori Yanagihara, Yutaka Terao
DOI: 10.1128/Spectrum.00318-21

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