New weapon in war on superbugs?

Scientists have decoded the genetic make-up of a bacterium which acts as a natural factory for antibiotics.

The findings, published in the scientific journal Nature, could be used to fight antibiotic-resistant superbugs rife in some British hospitals.

They may also aid the development of new types of anti-cancer drugs and offer fresh insights into diseases such as leprosy, tuberculosis and diptheria.

The bacterium, known as Streptomyces coelicolor, is found in the soil.

Together with other members of the same family, the bug produces twothirds of all natural antibiotics including tetracycline and erythromycin. It also makes drugs used to treat cancer or stop transplanted organs being rejected by the human body. Professor Sir David Hopwood, of the John Innes Centre in Norwich, who led the £2million project, said his team was surprised by the findings.

"We knew four antibiotics were made by this strain, but we found 17 or 18 other clusters which make other active compounds that are possibly only produced under very special soil conditions," he said.

"This organism has twice as many genes as typical free-living bacteria. You could say it's a boy scout - it's prepared. You've got the core of the chromosome, and then there are arms which are not essential but do useful things, like making antibiotics."

Biotech companies believe they may now be able to produce new drugs from scratch.