The new compounds, named malacidins, were found in soil samples collected from across America.

Malacidins found to eliminate MRSA in rats

Researchers in America have found a new family of antibiotics that can kill drug-resistant bacteria.

The antibiotics, called malacidins, have proven successful at killing several infections that are difficult to treat, including MRSA. Researchers say that discovery, published in Nature Microbiology brings fresh hope in the fight against antibiotic resistance.

In the study, researchers collected 1,800 soil samples from sites across America and used a gene sequencing technique to study them. When they found malacidins in many of the samples, they tested them on rats with induced MRSA and it completely eliminated the infection.

Speaking to BBC News, Dr Sean Brady from Rockefeller University said that his team are now working to improve the drug’s effectiveness so that it can be developed into a treatment for humans.

“It is impossible to say when, or even if, an early stage antibiotic discovery like the malacidins will proceed to the clinic,” he said. “It is a long, arduous road from the initial discovery of an antibiotic to a clinically used entity."

Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health, accelerated by the overuse of antibiotics as well as poor infection prevention and control. According to the World Health Organisation, almost half a million people developed resistance to TB in 2016 and the issue is starting to complicate the fight against HIV and malaria.