Medical marvel found in vagina

Researchers have discovered a new antibiotic made by the bacteria that live inside vaginas.

Nature.com reports that the drug, lactocillin, hints at the untapped medical potential of microbiomes - the bacteria living on our bodies.

The research team - led by Michael Fischbach, a microbiologist and chemist at the University of California - found thousands of molecules that could act as drugs. One example of these was a thiopeptide antibiotic produced by a bacteria that normally lives in the vagina.

The researchers found that the drug could kill the same types of bacteria as other thiopeptides - for instance, Staphylococcus aureus, which can cause skin infections, the Nature report said.