MIT News reports researchers have identified a mucin - a component of mucus - that seems able to block salmonella infections by preventing the bacteria from producing a particular protein they use to infect human cells.

Mucins are bottlebrush-shaped polymers made of complex sugar molecules known as glycans, which are tethered to a peptide backbone. In this study, the researchers discovered that a mucin called MUC2 turns off genes that Salmonella uses to enter and infect host cells.

The mucin in question is found in the digestive tract, not your nose.

Researchers will study whether they can create a synthetic version of the specific mucin - and other, similar mucins - that could be added to electrolyte drinks given to people suffering from bacteria-caused diarrhea and dehydration or even

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