Ethnobotanist Cassandra Quave (BS, Emory Anthropology) and her team identified a refined extract of the Brazilian Peppertree berry that inhibits Quorum sensing in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). In effect, this extract blocks the ability of MSRA to communicate thus preventing the production of toxins. The extract does not kill MRSA, rather it disarms the infection providing more time for other treatments and the immune system to fight off an infection. This discovery could lead to sweeping consequences for the treatment of so-called super bugs.

Read more about the research at Emory News, Nature, the Washington Post, and NBC News.