German researchers discovered a new antibiotic inhabiting in humans’ nose to fight one of the most dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria worldwide. The findings were published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

Researchers in Germany took a look at the germs that already inhabit the human body, and they found a new antibiotic lodged in human’s noses. The new antibiotic can kill MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) a superbug that represents a worldwide health problem. The scientific community has formerly searched for antibiotics in the environment or soil.

The new antibiotic found in the nose can kill deadly skin infections. It is produced by a type of staph bacteria found in people’s nose. Image Credit: KVUE
The new antibiotic found in the nose can kill deadly skin infections. It is produced by a type of staph bacteria found in people’s nose. Image Credit: KVUE

This time, researchers at the University of Tübingen tried in an entirely different place. It seems like the human body homes trillions of microbes and the Staphylococcus lug dune NSIS (an in-nose bacterium) appears to be a rival staff for MRSA infections.

 Bacteria constantly battle for dominance against rival germs in human’s body and even if sometimes the term “bacteria” is associated with danger or disease, some of them might result beneficial while protecting the body.

Some bacteria inhabiting our body make their chemical weapons in the form of antibiotics to kill off many of the bad ones.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that at least 2 million people in the U.S. develop antibiotic-resistant infections per year, and 23,000 people die from them.

MRSA infection kills around 20,000 people each year

It has been reported that MRSA infection kills around 20,000 people each year. The most dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the world is caused by a type of staph bacteria that has become resistant to many of the antibiotics commonly used to treat ordinary staph infections. Overuse and poor compliance led to antibiotic resistance, and it explains the current extents of MRSA infections.

Lita Proctor, program director of the Human Microbiome Project at the National Institutes of Health, who wasn’t participating in the new study, says that it is antibiotics’ overuse what has contributed to losing their effectiveness while battling bacteria. Staph bacteria have evolved in ways that antibiotics have become weak when trying to kill them.

Scientists claim that around 30 percent of people have bacteria species in their noses, including MRSA. It has been found out that nose is a common entryway for MRSA infections to get into the human body. Image Credit: Science News
Scientists claim that around 30 percent of people have bacteria species in their noses, including MRSA. It has been found out that nose is a common entryway for MRSA infections to get into the human body. Image Credit: Science News

In the case of MRSA infections occurring in healthcare settings, is known as health care-associated MRSA (HA-MRSA), which are associated with invasive procedures or devices – surgeries, intravenous tubing or artificial joints.

Nowadays, another type of MRSA infection has been discovered among wider communities. The community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) occurs among healthy people, whose pathology begins as a painful skin boil. The CA-MRSA is spread by skin-to-skin contact and high school wrestlers, child care workers and individuals who live in crowded conditions are more at risk of acquiring the infection.

MRSA infections affect the skin, but they also can infect the bloodstream and lining of the heart. The virus is resistant to a variety of medications, and this is how it has become a potentially fatal threat to people’s health.

There are still trials to be conducted to determine whether the new antibiotic would properly work in humans. Researchers have called the discovery unexpected and exciting: a new antibiotic-fighting MRSA would be a great success because it is expected that more people die from infections with bacteria resistant than from cancer in ten years’ time.

Andreas Peschel, a microbiologist at the University of Tuebingen, and his team isolated the new antibiotic (also known as lug dune NSIS) and tested it on mice to determine if their skin had been infected with Staphylococcus aureus. Results showed that the antibiotic was effective in clearing the bacteria in most cases.

“For whatever reason, it seems to be very, very difficult… for Staphylococcus aureus to become resistant to lugdunin, which is interesting,” wrote Peschel.

Doctors and scientists fear human might be entering a post-antibiotic age. Each day people are more at risk of dying from common infections acquired during routine surgeries. The team also found that the Staphylococcus lug dune NSIS also could kill another dangerous type of bacteria called VRE, or vancomycin-resistant enterococcus.

German researchers firmly believe that there are tons of bacteria silently killing fatal germs and waiting to be discovered.

“Given that S. lugdunensis is present in only around 10 percent of the population and S. aureus is found in about 30 percent of the population, there are probably more antibiotics yet to be discovered that are responsible for S. aureus colonization resistance,” wrote today Kim Lewis and Philip Strandwitz at Northeastern University.

Source: Nature