A SCIENTIFIC breakthrough by Oxford researchers could help halt the rise of bacterial antibiotic resistance.

A recent government report warned that antibiotic-resistant infections could surpass cancer as the biggest cause of death by 2050.

Researchers at Oxford University, however, have been able to use gene inhibitors to stop the spread of resistance in some bacteria and say the breakthrough could lead to a way of stopping resistance developing in the first place.

The study has been published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.

Senior author, professor Craig MacLean from Oxford’s Department of Zoology, explained how the team were able to inhibit the gene responsible for increased rates of resistance in species of the genus Pseudomonas – a bacteria known to infect humans, animals and plants.

Using this strategy, scientists were able to eliminate whole populations of the bacteria before resistance was able to develop.

Inhibitors are often used to treat infections caused by resistant strains of bacteria, but the team’s findings suggest they could be used to prevent resistance developing altogether.

Professor MacLean said: “First, our study shows how understanding the evolutionary biology of resistance can be used to come up with new ways to stop resistance.

“In this case, we show that using an enzyme inhibitor that blocks the evolutionary path to antibiotic resistance can be used to eliminate populations of an important pathogen without driving the spread of resistance.

“Second, this study shows that comparing how closely related species of bacteria become resistant to antibiotics can help us better understand resistance in pathogens.”