Widespread use of antibiotics for conditions that don't
require them has spurred mutations in bacteria strains, turning them into
so-called superbugs.
As a result, some of the diseases that once were easily
treatable with antibiotics, such as pneumonia and kidney infections, are
becoming deadly again. But a recent lab test in Britain showed that men's
facial hair is teeming with a variety of bacteria, all fighting for survival.
Some of them produce substances with antibiotic properties.
"So from 20 beards we managed to isolate at least a
hundred different isolates from them, and around 25 percent of these showed
antibiotic activity against our indicator strain,” said Adam Roberts, senior
lecturer in microbial diseases at University College London.
The research at University College London was spurred by
media reports saying that there are more germs in a man's beard than on a
toilet seat. These sparked a debate on whether beards are good or bad for men's
health. "We wanted to either disprove or prove that that was
actually correct, and we could find no evidence of that. So we have no real
conclusion to say that beards are bad for you. Likewise, we can't really say
that they're good for you,” Roberts said.
Drug-resistant strains
But the tests showed that certain species of bacteria
produce toxins that kill other bacteria, in one case even a particularly
drug-resistant strain of E. coli, which can cause deadly diseases.
The finding is crucial at a time when existing antibiotics
are less and less effective, and new ones have not been discovered. Scientists
say they are testing bacteria from various sources.
"So we don't need any more beards. And we've got other
samples from all over the country -- from child's trampolines, to fridges, to
cats.
We've now got a selection of around 50 different bacteria which can kill
multiple indicator strains,” he said. “These include E.coli -- a
multi-drug-resistant E.coli -- from a urinary tract infection. These include
also Candida albicans [yeast infections] and MRSA [Methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus]."But don't expect a new miracle drug anytime soon. Scientists
warn that properly testing and purifying a novel antibiotic is a long and
expensive process, riddled with failures.
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