Aureus

A denarius is a silver Roman coin worth 1/25th of a Roman aureus.

Bacteria in our bodies compete for survival, just like animals in the wild. And Staphyloccocus lugdunensis makes a really odd-looking chain of amino acids scientists have dubbed lugdunin, that keeps S. aureus at bay.

Each of the patients saw a dramatic decrease in S. aureus on their skin. Scientists showed the cream also suppressed the growth of antibiotic-resistant S. aureus.

Drug-resistant superbugs, which can live on flat surfaces, are the most serious worry. Often-lethal microbes like MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, do not respond to standard antibiotics, making it very hard to treat patients who become infected with them.