Nonpathogenic Bacteria as Targets in Antimicrobial High-Throughput Screening

Antimicrobial screening usually analyses the effects of natural or synthetic molecules against pathogens. McAuley et al. changed this paradigm, testing the effect of synthetic compounds against the sporulation of the nonpathogenic bacterium Streptomyces venezuelae. They discovered a novel DNA-targeting antibiotic effective against pathogens.