The clay found only in Oregon can give hope in the fight against the growing threat of antibiotic resistance.

A type of blue clay found only in the soil of the US state of Oregon could be used to fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Scientists say that unusual soil can kill bacteria difficult to destroy with the help of drugs and help fight infections in humans.

The diarrhea virus, E. coli and the hospital superbug MRSA could be in the line of fire, scientists having successfully killed them with clay in the laboratory.

Clay is already commonly used in skin treatments, such as face masks, and for their study, scientists have mixed it with a liquid to test its antibacterial properties.

The researchers say their discoveries are a "significant step forward" in exploring new ways to fight infections as the growing number of people become drug-resistant.

Experts from the State University of Arizona and Mayo Clinic say that Oregon's blue clay could help doctors fight pathogenic bacteria in wounds .

In laboratory studies, they found that the application of clay on samples of infectious bacteria had destroyed them.

These included E. coli infections, staphylococci and MRSA, which is immune to most common antibiotics, including penicillin and amoxicillin.

The use of clay could be a new way for scientists looking for ways to overcome the spread of antibiotic resistance.

Experts warned that even simple infections could become life-threatening if traditional medicines stopped working.

"This study is a significant step forward in understanding how clays, particularly blue clay from Oregon, have shown medicinal properties by binding to bacteria," said Enriqueta Barrera of the National Science Foundation. who funded the research.

In addition to killing individual bacteria, clay could also destroy bacteria that become biofilms, which are created when bacteria stick together, such as in dental plaque.

According to the researchers, these can be particularly difficult to eliminate because they create a protective coating, but they are found in two thirds of infections.

Lynda Williams, of Arizona State University, said, "We have shown that these clays decrease populations of bacterial biofilms as well as bacteria that are common in more drug-resistant wounds.

"The results support our efforts to design new antibacterial drugs using natural clays."

Scientists say the research is in its infancy and more studies need to be done, but the results are promising.

Robin Patel of Mayo Clinic added, "We have shown that this iron-reduced clay can kill some strains of bacteria under the laboratory conditions used, including bacteria grown in the form of biofilms, which can be particularly difficult to treat.

The results of the team appear in the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents.