University of Oregon scientists have discovered that a fungus already living on our skin could be the secret weapon against one of medicine’s nastiest foes: antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
In a study published in Current Biology, postdoctoral researcher Caitlin Kowalski and colleagues revealed that Malassezia sympodialis — a yeast normally resident on healthy skin — converts skin oils into fatty acids that specifically target and kill S. aureus, the bacterium responsible for roughly 500,000 hospitalizations in the U.S. each year.
Unlike broad-spectrum antibiotics, this naturally produced molecule operates within the acidic environment of the skin and selectively annihilates S. aureus without harming beneficial microbes. One in three people carry S. aureus harmlessly in their nose, but if it breaches the skin through a cut or abrasion, it can trigger painful boils, blisters, or even life-threatening sepsis.
With drug-resistant strains (like MRSA) on the rise, tapping into fungi that coexist with us could be a game-changer.
“What was fun and interesting about ours is that we identified (a compound) that is well-known and that people have studied before,” Kowalski explained, underscoring how this fungus-derived fatty acid has flown under the radar.
Most people think of Malassezia as a contributor to dandruff or eczema, but it may also serve as our first line of defense against superbugs. In lab experiments mimicking skin conditions, the researchers showed that the fungal byproducts create an environment acidic enough to weaken and destroy S. aureus cells.
Because these compounds are native to healthy skin, future treatments could leverage them as topical applications — either as lotions, washes, or even wound dressings — helping patients avoid systemic antibiotics and reducing the risk of resistance development.
This discovery matters because it highlights an overlooked asset in our own microbiome. Instead of endlessly searching chemical libraries for new drugs, researchers can harness what nature’s already fine-tuned. By exploring how skin microbes interact, we gain fresh insights into keeping infections in check.
And since Malassezia is ubiquitous and generally harmless, scaling up production of its antimicrobial molecules could be faster and more sustainable than developing novel synthetic antibiotics from scratch.
If you’re curious to learn more about how your skin’s microscopic roommates could revolutionize infection control, be sure to read the full article on Good News Network for all the details, including images, expert commentary, and complete study findings.
Check it out to see why this tiny fungus might become a huge ally against deadly superbugs.
