Portuguese scientists have developed an agent that inhibits the development of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus. The dangerous microorganism called MRSA is effectively counteracted by mushroom extracts.
As prof. Manuela Pintado from the Bragancy University of Technology, in a several-month study, showed that methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus can be stopped with substances from several different types of fungi.
The experiments that were conducted in hospital conditions, i.e. in places where MRSA infection is very common, pave the way for us to create an effective drug against methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus – said Prof. Pintado.
The Portuguese scientist did not disclose the names of the mushroom species that gave the best results.
The research was carried out on bacteria obtained from sick patients. They were treated with extracts obtained from several species of mushrooms from Europe and Asia, added Manuela Pintado.
In the course of the research, Portuguese scientists analyzed the impact on the microbes of several hundred fungi growing in the natural environment, and originating, among others, from from Spain, Finland, Turkey, Portugal, India, Japan and South Korea.
The research team included six scientists from the Bragancy University of Technology and the Portuguese Catholic University of Porto. They conducted experiments at a hospital in Chaves, in the northern part of the country.
MRSA, or Staphylococcus aureus, is one of the most resistant to treatment microbes. In addition to methicillin, it is resistant to both penicillin and other antibiotics. Its strains are also considered to be one of the deadliest microorganisms. More people worldwide died from infection with this staphylococcus in 2005 than from HIV.
From Lisbon, Marcin Zatyka (PAP)