Newswise — DALLAS – Feb. 27, 2026 – Men are more susceptible than women to skin infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, but the biological basis for this disparity has remained unclear. A new study led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers is the first to reveal testosterone, present at higher levels in males, as a key driver of infection. The sex steroid activates a bacterial communication pathway known as quorum sensing, increasing skin cell death and promoting the destruction of red blood cells and white blood cells called neutrophils.
Published in Nature Microbiology, the study also reported that a mirror-image form of testosterone, known as an enantiomer (ent-T), blocks quorum sensing and prevents S. aureus from damaging tissue in mice models. Senior…