UT Tyler School of Medicine Professor Advancing Antibiotic Treatment for Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Lung Disease

July 10, 2023

UT Tyler School of Medicine Professor Advancing Antibiotic Treatment for Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Lung Disease

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July 10, 2023

Media Contact: Hannah Buchanan
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Dr. Shashikant Srivastava, a University of Texas at Tyler School of Medicine associate professor, advanced an oral antibiotic for the treatment of Mycobacterium abscessus lung disease.

The bacteria, Mycobacterium abscessus, belongs to group of nontuberculous mycobacteria and is naturally resistant to many antibiotics. Current treatment including injectable drugs is associated with adverse side effects and therapy can last from months to years.

Dr. Srivastava, working with a team of researchers, is exploring omadacycline as a possible treatment option for Mycobacterium abscessus lung disease. Their model predicted omadacycline dose in combination with other drugs could potentially cure over 90% of patients, even patients who had previously failed standard treatments, and cause no severe side effects. The research was partially sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.

“These results represent a significant milestone in Mycobacterium abscessus lung disease treatment and offers hope for patients struggling with this antibiotic-resistant nightmare. Omadacycline shows promise as a vital addition to the treatment arsenal against the disease,” said Srivastava.

Srivastava received his PhD in environmental science from Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University in Lucknow, India. He previously served as an associate professor at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Dallas and joined UT Tyler in April 2020. He’s received a Science and Technology Acquisition and Retention award of $250,000 from the University of Texas System to pursue his research.

For more information, read the published article.

With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to nearly 10,000 students. Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.