Using garlic to combat antimicrobial resistant urinary tract infections

 

Garlic extract may be an effective weapon against multi-drug resistant strains of pathogenic bacteria associated with urinary tract infections (UTI), according to a recent study published in the Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science. Conducted by researchers at the Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences in India, the study found that "even crude extracts of [garlic] showed good activity against multidrug resistant strains where antibiotic therapy had limited or no effect. This provides hope for developing alternative drugs which may be of help in fighting the menace of growing antibacterial resistance," the team states. Urinary tract infection is the second most common infectious disease encountered in community practice. Worldwide, about 150 million people are diagnosed each year with UTI, at a total treatment cost in the billions of dollars. Although UTI is usually treated with antibiotics, "emerging antimicrobial resistance compels us to look back into traditional medicines or herbal products, which may provide appropriate/acceptable alternative solutions," the authors argue. Garlic (Allium sativum) has been traditionally used for the treatment of diseases since ancient times. A wide range of microorganisms -- including bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses -- are known to be sensitive to garlic preparations. Allicin and other sulphur compounds are thought to be the major antimicrobial factors in garlic. In this study, the team found that 56% of 166 bacteria strains isolated from the urine of people with UTI showed a high degree of resistance to antibiotics. However, about 82% of the antibiotic resistant bacteria were susceptible to a crude aqueous extract of Allium sativum. According to the researchers, "ours is the first study to report the antibacterial activity of aqueous garlic extract against multidrug resistant bacterial isolates from infected urine samples leading to UTI." "To conclude, there is evidence that garlic has potential in the treatment of UTI and maybe other microbial infections," says the team. "However, it is necessary to determine the bioavailability, side effects and pharmacokinetic properties in more detail." For further information please see: http://www.pertanika.upm.edu.my/Pertanika%20PAPERS/JTAS%20Vol.%2038%20(2)%20May.%202015/09%20Page%20271-278%20(JTAS%200616-2014).pdf Story Source: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Urinary tract infections: Getting better without antibiotics

 

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Given the option, many women with symptoms of urinary tract infections are choosing to avoid antibiotics and give their bodies a chance to heal naturally, finds research in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Family Practice. The research shows that 70% of women with symptoms of uncomplicated urinary tract infections who did not use antibiotics for a week were cured or showed improvement.

Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria are already a big problem and the incidence of 'superbugs', which are resistant to several antibiotics, is on the rise. Over use of antibiotics increases the chances of disease causing bacteria developing resistance to antibiotics. Obviously for serious bacterial infections antibiotics can be a life saver, but they do not work on viruses, and for many minor bacterial infections the body's own immune system is more than capable of fighting off the invaders on its own.

In this study, based at the University of Amsterdam, women with symptoms of uncomplicated urinary tract infections were asked if they would be willing to postpone taking antibiotics. A third of the women asked were willing to delay treatment and a week later about half of these had still not used antibiotics and more than two thirds of these were better or had improvement in their clinical condition.

Dr Bart Knottnerus, from the Academic Medical Center of the University of Amsterdam, who led this study commented that "Women may be more receptive to the idea of delaying treatment than is commonly assumed by many clinicians. Given proper observations to simply doing nothing, or giving pain medication instead of an antibiotic, is an effective treatment and one which will reduce the risk of developing antibiotic-resistant bacteria."

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Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by BioMed Central Limited. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Journal Reference:

1. Bart J Knottnerus, Suzanne E Geerlings, Eric P van Charante, Gerben ter Riet. Women with symptoms of uncomplicated urinary tract infection are often willing to delay antibiotic treatment: a prospective cohort study. BMC Family Practice, 2013; 14 (1): 71 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2296-14-71

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