Recent discoveries about the nature and structure of Streptococcus pneumoniae could help doctors resume the of Penicillin against this and other resistant strains. International research has shown  the role of a MerM, one of Streptococcus’s key proteins, in producing structures in the bacterium’s cell walls that have been enhancing its resistance to Penicillin. MurM allows for the formation of peptide bridges which prevent the destructive mechanisms of Penicillin.

This action has been replicated in the lab which may give researchers new ways to target MurM and eliminate Penicillin resistance as well as clues to attacking methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus - yet another bacterium that uses cell-wall dipeptide bridges to enhance its resistance against Penicillin.

Source: Lloyd, A.J., Gilby, A.M., at al. (2008). Characterization of tRNA-dependent peptide bond formation by MurM in the synthesis of Streptococcus pneumoniae peptidoglycan.

Eurekalert.org: Research could put penicillin back in battle against antibiotic resistant bugs that kill millions