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Yes. In a 2017 study, bacteria isolated from an opossum found as roadkill produced cyclic lipodepsipeptides that inhibited Candida albicans biofilm formation in laboratory tests. The result identifies a possible source of bioactive natural products; it does not show that the compounds treat fungal infections or are safe or effective in people.
How researchers sampled roadkill
Microbiologists and natural-products chemists used carcasses found near the University of Oklahoma campus in Norman, Oklahoma, as an opportunity to study bacteria associated with mammalian microbiomes. The work involved sampling roadkill, not experimenting on live animals.
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Over two years, the team selected carcasses considered fresh—generally thought to have been struck within roughly ten hours—and collected samples with sterile swabs from intact body openings or gastrointestinal tracts. The animals included skunks, armadillos, deer, raccoons, squirrels and opossums.
Motley et al. (2017) reported 3,659 bacterial isolates from the sampled animals. Of those, 1,425, or 39%, came from opossum carcasses, which the authors described as particularly rich in morphologically unique bacteria. These are isolate counts from this study, not estimates of how many bacterial species live on any one animal.
How the team looked for biologically active molecules
The researchers paired chemical analysis with biological testing to find bacterial products worth investigating. Their workflow used laser-ablation electrospray ionization mass spectrometry alongside bioassays, helping them connect compounds produced by bacterial isolates with observable biological activity.
The paper focused on two isolates—a Pseudomonas sp. and a Serratia sp.—collected from the ear of a roadkill opossum. The isolates produced several cyclic lipodepsipeptides, a class of molecules that includes both previously known and newly characterized compounds. The study’s reported findings are described in Motley et al., “Opportunistic Sampling of Roadkill as an Entry Point to Accessing Natural Products Assembled by Bacteria Associated with Non-anthropoidal Mammalian Microbiomes,” Journal of Natural Products, 2017.
What the Candida result means
In laboratory assays, the cyclic lipodepsipeptides inhibited formation of C. albicans biofilms at concentrations below those required to inhibit yeast viability. In other words, the reported effect was on biofilm formation at lower concentrations than those needed to stop the yeast from remaining viable—not proof that the compounds killed the fungus or cleared an established infection.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsBiofilm formation is a specific experimental endpoint. The study does not establish a dose for treating an animal or person, safety, clinical efficacy, regulatory approval or commercial availability. The molecules are research findings, not demonstrated antifungal medicines.
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Why the approach drew interest—and where it stops
The study suggests that microbes associated with underexplored mammalian microbiomes may produce natural products with biological activity. Chemistry World’s account of the work quoted University of Warwick natural-product chemist Greg Challis calling the idea of exploring these microbiome constituents “rather ingenious,” and University of Aberdeen organic chemist Marcel Jaspars said it showed that “there are sources of novel microbiology and chemistry on our doorstep we don’t normally consider.” Those comments describe the promise of the discovery approach, not evidence of a usable therapy.
The work was exploratory: it moved from opportunistic animal sampling to bacterial isolation, chemical characterization and laboratory biofilm assays. The paper acknowledged support from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; that funding acknowledgement does not indicate endorsement of a product.
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