New antibiotic found in the nose could treat infections

Humans may be new source for germ killers

It’s not often that something really useful comes out of your nose.

Yet German scientists credit bacteria in the humble human schnoz with producing an antibiotic that appears powerful enough to kill dangerous skin infections.

The antibiotic is produced by a type of staph bacteria found in about 10% of people’s noses, according to a study published online Thursday in Nature.

Although many people associate bacteria with disease, the human body is actually home to trillions of beneficial bacteria that help do everything from digest food to fight infections. Bacteria constantly jockey for position against other germs, and many of them make personal antibiotics as a way to protect themselves from their rivals.

The discovery suggests that the body could be a good place to hunt for new antibiotics, said study co-author Andreas Peschel, a professor at the University of Tübingen in Germany, which has filed for a patent on the new antibiotic.

At least 2 million people in the U.S. develop antibiotic-resistant infections each year and 23,000 people die from them, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In tests on mice, researchers found that the new antibiotic, which they called lugdunin, could cure skin infections caused by a type of staph bacteria called MRSA, which is resistant to a variety of medications.

“When we regard the human body ... as an elegant ecosystem, there will be endless wonders to be discovered at our fingertips, or the tip of our nose.” said Kjersti Aagaard, an associate professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.