Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Research Highlight
  • Published:

Antimicrobials

Tapping into our own resources

Nature Reviews Microbiology volume 14, pages 604–605 (2016)Cite this article

Subjects

The human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus is a common cause of invasive infections, and with the increase in infections caused by community-acquired and hospital- acquired methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains, therapy is problematic. Previous studies have linked nasal carriage of S. aureus to the spread and pathogenesis of invasive infection. However, the majority of the human population resists colonization with S. aureus and it is unclear what governs susceptibility. In this study, Zipperer, Konnerth et al. report the identification of an antimicrobial factor that is produced by the nasal commensal Staphylococcus lugdunensis and impairs S. aureus colonization of the human nose.

Previous studies have suggested that bacteria in the human microbiota produce antibiotics that act against closely related bacteria. Zipperer, Konnerth et al. screened a collection of nasal Staphylococcus spp. isolates, and they found that S. lugdunensis strongly inhibited the growth of S. aureus, which suggests that S. lugdunensis has antimicrobial activity.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Zipperer, A., Konnerth, M. C. et al. Human commensals producing a novel antibiotic impair pathogen colonization. Nature 535, 511–516 (2016)

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Andrea Du Toit
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Du Toit, A. Tapping into our own resources. Nat Rev Microbiol 14, 604–605 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro.2016.126

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro.2016.126

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing Microbiology

Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Microbiology newsletter — what matters in microbiology research, free to your inbox weekly.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing: Microbiology