Streptococcus pneumoniae's resistance to antibiotics has been exposed in new research.

Scientists at the University of Warwick focused on the chain-molecule peptidoglycan in cell walls of bacterium.

Activity of bacterial protein MurM was replicated to show how it is utilised by streptococcus pneumoniae to neutralise penicillin.

MurM was found to build links between the peptidoglycan strands making streptococcus pneumoniae resistant to penicillin.

The dipeptide bridges formed were the same as seen in the immunity of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), scientists noted.

High levels of MurM activity indicated the strength of peptidoglycan and its resistance to drugs.

"Because we now know in detail what this protein needs to be able to do its job and promote bacterial resistance we should be able to develop drugs to stop it from doing so," lead researcher Dr Adrian Lloyd stated.

Further developments in drugs which block bacterial resistance by disrupting MurM in streptococcus pneumoniae could be seen as a result of the study.

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