Garlic combats drug resistant bacterial strains associated with UTIs

According to a recent study, garlic extract may be an effective antimicrobial against drug resistant strains of pathogenic bacteria associated with urinary tract infections (UTIs).

Researchers in India found that garlic extracts demonstrated significant antimicrobial activity against multidrug resistant bacteria strains. This offers an alternative to antibacterial resistance.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common bacterial infections and are often caused by Escherichia coli (E. coli). The standard of care has been treatment with antibiotics, however, increasing bacterial resistance has lead researchers to search for alternative treatments.

Garlic has a broad range of health benefits. It has been traditionally used for the treatment of a wide range of microorganisms including bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses. Ajoene, a natural product of allicin degradation, exhibits broad spectrum antimicrobial activity with the greatest activity compared to allicin and other garlic extracts. It has been shown to inhibit the growth of bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Esherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Candida albicans.

In this study, researchers found that 56% of 166 bacteria strains isolated from the urine of people with UTIs showed a significant degree of resistance to antibiotics but 82% of the bacteria were sensitive to the garlic extract. As a result, there is evidence that supports garlic in the treatment of UTIs.

Bacteriophages are also a great option to combine here. Between the growing levels of antibiotic resistance and exit of major pharmaceutical companies from antibiotic development really makes phage therapy and garlic as treatment of choice for the growing number of infections.

Phages can be used to support overall urinary tract health and can be used for both prophylactic and therapeutic applications against bacterial infections. Phage therapy has an 80 to 90 percent success rate against bacteria likely to show antibiotic resistance, such Escherichia coli. In contrast, many antibiotics fail against evolved forms of these pathogens.

Source: University Putra Malaysia (UPM). “Using garlic to combat antimicrobial resistant urinary tract infections.

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