When Peschel's team infected the skin of mice with S. aureus, lugdunin ointment killed the infection both on the surface and in deeper ...SkiptomaincontentThankyouforvisitingnature.com.YouareusingabrowserversionwithlimitedsupportforCSS.Toobtainthebestexperience,werecommendyouuseamoreuptodatebrowser(orturnoffcompatibilitymodeinInternetExplorer).Inthemeantime,toensurecontinuedsupport,wearedisplayingthesitewithoutstylesandJavaScript.AdvertisementnaturenewsarticleThenoseknowshowtokillMRSADownloadPDFSubjectsAntibioticsInfectionMicrobiomeBacteriafromthehumanbodyproduceanantibioticthatseemstokillresistantbacteria.DownloadPDFThehumannoseisnolongerjustasourceofgrossglobsofmucous.Credit:WIN-Initiative/GettyAnewantibioticwasrightunderournoses—orrather,inthem.Producedbyabacteriumlivinginthehumannose,themoleculekillsthepotentiallydeadlymethicillin-resistantStaphylococcusaureus(MRSA)inmiceandrats.Staphylococcusaureusresidesinthenosesof1in3peoplewithoutcausingaproblem.MRSA—anS.aureusstrainresistanttomanyantibiotics—isfoundin2in100.Inasmallpercentageofcases,thebacteriumescapestothebloodstream,causinginfection.MRSAkills11,000peopleannuallyintheUnitedStatesalone.ThepotentialnewsoldierinthefightagainstMRSAisamoleculecalledlugduninproducedbythebacteriumStaphylococcuslugdunensis,reportAndreasPeschelandcolleaguesattheUniversityofTübingen,Germany,on27JulyinNature.Inasamplingof187hospitalpatients,peoplewhosenosesnaturallycontainedS.lugdunensisweresixtimeslesslikelytohaveS.aureusthanpeoplewhosenoseslackedS.lugdunensis,Peschel'steamfound.ThissuggeststhatS.lugdunensisisabletocombatthegrowthoftheproblematicbacterium.Thatmeanstheantibioticproducedbythebacteriumcouldbedevelopedasapreventive—anasalspray,forexample—tokeepS.aureusoutofpeople’snosesinthefirstplace.About9%ofpeoplenaturallycarryS.lugdunensis.AnewhopeThevastmajorityofantibioticsaresmallmoleculesthatattackbacterialenzymes,theproteinsthatorchestratechemicalreactionsinsidethecell.Theresearchersfoundthatlugduninisunusualinthatit’smuchlarge