Scientists find new powerful antibiotic in human nose

Scientists searching for new antibiotics to cure hard-to-treat infections have found an effective bacteria in the human nose.

According to a report published in the scientific journal Nature on Wednesday, a group of German researchers have discovered a bacteria called Staphylococcus lugdunensis. It can produce a chemical called hugdunin, which is bactericidal against major pathogens.

The most important characteristic of the chemical is that it wouldn't develop a resistance in the bugs that it kills with repeated use, the researchers from the University of Tubingen in Germany pointed out.

Killing so-called "superbugs," which are strong pathogens with a resistance to most antibiotics currently in use, is increasingly difficult as the more antibiotics we use, the more resistance those targeted pathogens will develop, the scientists warned.

Superbugs cause an estimated 700,000 deaths every year, according to CNN.

The new finding holds a promising future in the fight against bugs, however, some experts wrote in a related article that the application of the nose-dwelling antibiotics will be difficult to commercialize because it could harm human cells as a side effect.

(APD)