A small compound dubbed lugdunin. When the researchers tested the new compound in mice, they could treat staph infections. Study author Bernhard ...SkiptomaincontentEndofSummerSaleShopNowEndofSummerSaleShopNowShareonFacebookShareonTwitterShareonRedditShareonLinkedInShareviaEmailPrintCredit:RusN/GettyImagesAdvertisementHumans,andthemicrobesthatliveinsideus,couldbethesourceofthenextgenerationofantibiotics.Germanresearchersjustdiscoveredanantibioticproducedbybacteriathatinhabitournoses.This newantibioticcankill MRSA,theposterchildfordrugresistanceandtheculpritbehindthemostpernicioushospital-acquiredstaphinfections.“Ourstudycanhelptounderstandwhatwecandotoeradicatethesepathogensfromthemicrobiotaofhealthypeople,”saidAndreasPeschel,leadauthorofthestudy,publishedWednesdayinNature.Here’showitworks:Thinkofourbodiesasgardenbeds,withbacteriaastheplants.Weusedtothinkthatallbacteriawereweeds,invadingandmakingussick.Togetridofbacteria,wejusthackedeverythingdown.“We’vetakenbasicallya‘clearcutting’approachtotreatingdisease—justwhack‘emallandhopethatsomethinggoodhappens,”saidMichaelGilmore,aprofessorofmicrobiologyatHarvardMedicalSchoolwhoreviewedthestudyandisanexpertin antibioticresistance anddrugdiscovery.Instead,somethingbadhappened:overuseandpoorcomplianceledtoantibioticresistance.MRSAinfection—causedbystaphthatdon’trespondtomethicillin—killsaround20,000peopleeachyear.Around30percentofpeoplehavethebacteriaspeciesthatincludesMRSA,S.aureus,intheirnosesrightnow.TheauthorspointoutthatthenoseisacommonentrywayforMRSAtogetintothehumanbody.“Somepeoplearepronetostaphinfectionsandotherpeoplearerelativelyresistant,”Gilmoresaid.“Partofthatisourimmunesystem,andpartofitistheothermicrobesthatwecarryaroundwithus.”Andit’sthoseothermicrobes,theGermanteamfound,thatstrikeMRSAdead.AnativespeciesScientistsattheUniversityofTübingensuckedthebacteria-ladensnotfrom37healthypeopleandculturedthedifferentbacteriaspeciestheyfoundintheirsamples.Tofigureoutifanyofthebacteriathey’dfoundwouldhelpkeepMRSAaway,they