Excerpts:
An ingredient in garlic may offer one of the best defences against
hospital superbugs, new British research has shown.
The compound is said to be effective even against highly resistant
strains of the notorious MRSA bug, which has claimed many lives.
It can cure patients with MRSA-infected wounds "within days", said
microbiologist Dr Ron Cutler, from the University of East London, who
carried out the research.
Allicin, which occurs naturally in garlic, not only killed known
varieties of MRSA, but also new superbug generations resistant to
"last resort" antibiotics such as vancomycin.
"MRSA is causing a genuine crisis in our hospital system in Britain
and worldwide," Dr Cutler said.
"Antibiotics are increasingly ineffective, but we do have a powerful
natural ally. Plant compounds have evolved over millions of years as
chemical defence agents against infection. Garlic has been used in
medicine for centuries, and it should be no surprise that it is
effective against this very modern infection."
MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) causes an estimated
2,000 deaths in UK hospitals each year, mainly by infecting surgical
wounds.
"The trials we have conducted so far show that this formulation is
highly effective against MRSA, and it could save many lives," said Dr
Cutler.
Results from the laboratory research are due to appear in the Journal
of Biomedical Science