WaPo: A potentially powerful new antibiotic is discovered in dirt

[mucifer]

“Every place you step, there’s 10,000 bacteria, most of which we've never seen,” said Brady, an associate professor at Rockefeller University in New York. Many of these bacteria behave in ways that aren't yet understood and produce molecules that haven't been seen before.

“Our idea is, there’s this reservoir of antibiotics out in the environment we haven’t accessed yet,” Brady said.

That idea is beginning to pay off: In a study published Monday in the journal Nature Microbiology, he and his colleagues report the discovery of a new class of antibiotic extracted from unknown microorganisms living in the soil. This class, which they call malacidins, kills several superbugs — including the dreaded methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) — without engendering resistance.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2018/02/13/a-potentially-powerful-new-antibiotic-is-discovered-in-dirt/?hpid=hp_hp-more-top-stories_sos-antibiotic-1045pm-winner%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.7661787cc486

[raging moderate]

1. DU Rec.

[DetlefK]

2. Reminds me of an article about how horses keep their skin clean.

I once read an article how a biologist saw a horse sniffing on the ground until it found a very special patch of dirt. And then it got on the ground and rubbed itself in the dirt.

He took a sample of the dirt and discovered a special kind of bacteria in it that keeps the natural environment of the bacterias living on your skin in balance.

He sprayed the bacterias on his skin and since this day he no longer needs deodorant or perfumed shampoo to cover up the smell of sweat. The bacteria destroys that smell. He only showers with clear water.

[kacekwl]

3. Didn't we always say

"Rub some dirt on it" when we injured ourselves ?

[eppur_se_muova]

4. ...

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