[ad_1]
TScientists have revealed that the response to the threat of drug-resistant superbugs may have been found in green tea.
A series of experiments has shown that an antibiotic that was proving less and less effective against serious infections was found to be effective if used with an agent present in large quantities in the drink.
Researchers at the University of Surrey have associated epigallocatechin (EGCG) with the antibiotic. They discovered that the association was 31% more effective at removing harmful bacteria than the antibiotic alone took.
A type of catechin, or natural phenolic antioxidant, EGCG is also present in smaller amounts in black tea leaves, as well as in apple skins, plums and onions.
Published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology, the study included P. aeruginosa, the virus responsible for a number of serious respiratory and blood infections.
In recent years, the pathogen has become increasingly resistant to aztreonam, the main antibiotic used to treat it.
However, laboratory tests performed on moths and on human skin cells in a box showed that EGCG softened the bacteria, thus facilitating their penetration by antibiotics and their destruction.
The successful experiments gave rise to the hope that the agent could be developed for common use in patients.
[ad_2]
Source link