The key to reducing antibiotic resistance in green tea hands
According to this study, a chemical compound called epigallocatechin, or EGCG, which is abundant in green tea, is able to restore the activity of a common antibiotic called aztronam. This antibiotic is used to treat infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This bacterium causes a wide range of serious infections of the respiratory system and bloodstream that have become resistant to the main group of antibiotics in recent years.
Recent studies by researchers at Sari University show that the combination of EGCG and azteronam can kill this drug-resistant bacterium.
Antimicrobial resistance is the resistance of a microorganism (including bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites) to antimicrobial drugs to treat an infection. When these microorganisms become resistant to antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral drugs, standard drugs become ineffective, the infection remains in the body, and it is easily transmitted.
Many deadly diseases, such as tuberculosis, can only be treated with antibiotics, and one example shows how dangerous resistance to this group of treatments can be.
According to the World Health Organization, there is a high proportion of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that cause common infections such as urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and bloodstream infections. Ineffectiveness of the drug in relation to infection means an increase in the rate of disability and death and imposes huge costs on health.
There is extensive research to address antibiotic resistance worldwide.
The researchers hope that by combining EGCG with other common antibiotics, the effectiveness of these drugs can be restored.