An illustration of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria
KATERYNA KON/SCIENTIFIC PHOTO LIBRARY
A potential new antibiotic is highly effective against ‘superbugs’ such as MRSA that are resistant to many existing antibiotics, and kills bacteria in an unusual way, meaning it will be extremely difficult for resistance to evolve .
The antibiotic, clovibactin, was discovered in a rare bacterium isolated from sandy soil collected in North Carolina. Markus Weingarth of Utrecht University in the Netherlands and his colleagues have studied how it works, with promising results. “The activity is even better than for gold…