NewsHealth & MedicineA new antifungal drug works in a surprising wayMandimycin soaks up molecules that all forms of life share, yet appears to target only fungi Fungi, like this colony growing in a lab dish, are notoriously hard to treat. A newly discovered compound made by bacteria kills even fungi that are resistant to other antifungal drugs. The compound may one day become a drug if scientists can figure out why it doesn't also kill human cells and bacteria.TopMicrobialStock/iStock/Getty Images PlusBy Tina Hesman Saey25 seconds agoA newly discovered bacterial weapon against fungi can kill even drug-resistant strains, raising hopes for a new antifungal drug.Fungal infections have been spreading rapidly and widely in recent years, fueled in part by climate change. Some fungi, including Candida auris, have developed resistance to some highly effective antifungal drugs which have been in use for decades. So scientists have been searching for new drugs to keep fungi in check.Researchers in China may have found a new type of antifungal called mandimycin, the team reports March 19 in Nature. Mandimycin killed fungal infections in mice more effectively than amphotericin B and several other commonly used antifungal drugs. It even worked against resistant C. auris strains.Sign up for our newsletterWe summarize the week's science breakthroughs every Thursday.