The World Health Organisation has published a list of the top 12 bacteria for which antibiotics are urgently needed in an effort to focus research.

The list highlights in particular the threat of gram-negative bacteria that are resistant to multiple antibiotics. These bacteria have built-in abilities to find new ways to resist treatment and can pass along genetic material that allows other bacteria to become drug-resistant as well.

WHO priority pathogens list for R&D of new antibiotics

Priority 1: CRITICAL

• Acinetobacter baumannii, carbapenem-resistant
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa, carbapenem-resistant
• Enterobacteriaceae, carbapenem-resistant, ESBL-producing

Priority 2: HIGH

• Enterococcus faecium, vancomycin-resistant
• Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant, vancomycin-intermediate and resistant
• Helicobacter pylori, clarithromycin-resistant
• Campylobacter spp., fluoroquinolone-resistant
• Salmonellae, fluoroquinolone-resistant
• Neisseria gonorrhoeae, cephalosporin-resistant, fluoroquinolone-resistant

Priority 3: MEDIUM

• Streptococcus pneumoniae, penicillin-non-susceptible
• Haemophilus influenzae, ampicillin-resistant
• Shigella spp., fluoroquinolone-resistant

Update

The Community for Open Antibiotic Drug Discovery (CO-ADD) screen compounds for antimicrobial activity for academic research groups for free. The screening includes the top 5 pathogens listed in the WHO priority list, as well as the fungi C. neoformans and C. albicans. Details on how to send compounds are here. All they require is 1mg (or 50uL at 10 mg/mL) of pure compound which will be used for primary screening, hit confirmation, and if active will be used for a broader antimicrobial screening, cytotoxicity and a check for its purity.