Repurposing screens identify rifamycins as potential broad-spectrum therapy for multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and select agent microorganisms.

Aims: Estimates suggest that the drug discovery and development processes take between 10 and 15 years, with costs ranging between US$500 million and $2 billion. A growing number of bacteria have become resistant to approved antimicrobials. For example, the Gram-negative bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii has become multidrug resistant (MDR) and is now an important pathogen to the US military in terms of wound infections.