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Narrow-spectrum antibiotic exploits metabolic differences to inhibit Pseudomonas aeruginosa

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We characterize the activity of fluorofolin, a potent inhibitor of dihydrofolate reductase, against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. By exploiting a divergence in thymidine metabolism, fluorofolin becomes selective for P. aeruginosa in the presence of thymine, demonstrating that it can be a narrow-spectrum antibiotic for this bacterial pathogen.

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Fig. 1: A divergence in thymidine metabolism underscores fluorofolin as a narrow-spectrum antibiotic for P. aeruginosa.

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This is a summary of: Chain, C. et al. A folate inhibitor exploits metabolic differences in Pseudomonas aeruginosa for narrow-spectrum targeting. Nat. Microbiol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-024-01665-2 (2024).

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Narrow-spectrum antibiotic exploits metabolic differences to inhibit Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Nat Microbiol 9, 1165–1166 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-024-01673-2

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