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Microbiology

Antibiotics right under our nose

Nature volume 535, pages 501–502 (2016)Cite this article

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Bacteria that are normally resident in the body have many roles in supporting health. Researchers have now identified a bacterial resident of the nose that produces an antibiotic that is active against a pathogen. See Article p.511

There is immense clinical concern about the rise of antibiotic-resistant 'superbugs' — such as strains of the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus known as methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) that have developed resistance to several key antibiotics. Faced with the growth of resistant strains of bacteria, finding more antibiotics is an urgent necessity. Most antibiotics have been isolated from soil-living bacteria, but on page 511, Zipperer et al.1 identify an antibiotic produced by a bacterial resident of the human nose that is active against strains of MRSA.

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Figure 1: An approach to identifying natural antibiotics.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Kim Lewis and Philip Strandwitz are at the Antimicrobial Discovery Center, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.,

    Kim Lewis & Philip Strandwitz

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  1. Kim Lewis
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  2. Philip Strandwitz
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Correspondence to Kim Lewis or Philip Strandwitz.

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Lewis, K., Strandwitz, P. Antibiotics right under our nose. Nature 535, 501–502 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/535501a

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