A fatal superbug that sometimes claims life Over 1 million Globally, there may be nemesis who live just below your nose.
Quite literally. It governs your skin microbiota, where it appears to keep staphylococcal infections at bay.
The agents that are not overlooked are natural yeast species. Malassezia Sympodialis – One of the most common microorganisms in healthy human skin. New research shows that it cleans oils and fats from the appearance of your body, so fungi are It can produce fatty acids that stop the development and growth of staphylococcal infections.
According to a laboratory experiment led by scientists at the University of Oregon (UO), M. sympodialis You can be hostile Staphylococcus aureus Bacteria caused by acidic by-products.
Yeast-producing acids often exist in healthy skin, so researchers think that will stop S. aureus From the overcolonization of the microbiota. S. aureus It is a normal component of the skin microbiome, but if it takes over, or penetrates the tissue or bloodstream, it is possible Hazardous infectious diseases of seeds.
Skin and soft tissue infections s.aureus It’s almost about 500,000 hospitalizations Bacteria can become resistant every year in the US In All classes of antibiotics It is currently in Arsenal.
This means that new drug therapy needs to be continuously advocated to preempt fatal tolls. The fact that our skin microbiota has natural protection against STAPH infection is worth exploring even further.
“There’s a lot of research identifying new antibiotic structures.” say Caitlin Kowalski of UO, author and evolutionary biologist Caitlin Kowalski. “But what I enjoyed about us was identifying well-known (compounds) and people have studied before.”
The compound in question is called 10-hydroxypalmitic acid (10 horsepower), and in the past, not only unleashes toxic effects in low pH environments like skin, but scientists probably overlook its antibacterial properties as it is not a normal laboratory condition.
Using human skin biopsies from healthy donors, Kowalski and colleagues discovered that acid was produced by residents Malassezia yeast.
“It was like finding a needle in a haystack, but you can’t see the molecules.” say Kowalski’s advisor and biologist Matthew Barber.
How did Barber, Kowalski and their colleagues test in the lab? M. Sympodialis Yeast affects various strains S. aureus. 2 hours after yeast treatment, almost S. aureus Strains showed a 100-fold decrease in survival rate.
over time, S. aureus The strain developed some resistance M. sympodialis’ 10-HP, and dangerous bacteria, did so in a similar way as to how they develop resistance to clinical antibiotics.
Interestingly, researchers have discovered other species Staphylococcus Bacteria that do not pose the same threat S. aureusI had already found a similar way to coexist they. Sympodialis yeast.
Considering the prevalence of ” Malassezia Within the mammalian skin microbiota, it may simply scratch the surface of its role in shaping microbial interactions and colonization resistance of this niche. ” write author.
Kowalski is currently planning to dig deeper into the genetic mechanisms of antibiotic-resistant STAPH infection to better understand how bacteria can rapidly mutate and avoid the full range of antimicrobial agents.
“We still have a lot to do to understand microorganisms, and we also find new ways to treat or prevent these infections.” say Barber.
This study was published in Current Biology.
