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Mud may be coming to a medicine cabinet or pharmacy near you. Scientists
in Arizona report that minerals from clay could form the basis of a new
generation of inexpensive, highly-effective antimicrobials for fighting
MRSA infections that are moving out of health care settings and into the
community. These “superbugs” are increasingly resistant to multiple
antibiotics and cause thousands of deaths each year.
Unlike conventional antibiotics that are often administered by injection
or pills, the so-called “healing clays” could be used as rub-on creams
or ointments to keep MRSA infections from spreading, the researchers
say. The clays also show promise against a wide range of other harmful
bacteria, including those that cause skin infections and food poisoning,
the scientists add. Their study, one of the first to explore the
antimicrobial activity of natural clays in detail, was presented today
at the 235th national meeting of the American Chemical Society.
Clays have been used for thousands of years as a remedy for infected
wounds, indigestion, and other health problems, either by applying clay
to the skin or eating it. Today, clays are commonly used at health spas
in the form of mud baths and facials. Armed with new investigative
tools, researchers are beginning to explore their health claims
scientifically.
“Clays are little chemical drug-stores in a packet,” said study
co-leader Lynda Williams, Ph.D., a geochemist at Arizona State
University in Tempe “They contain literally hundreds of elements. Some
of these compounds are beneficial but others aren’t. Our goal is to find
out what nature is doing and see if we can find a better way to kill
harmful bacteria.”
In the new study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, Willams
and her colleagues collected more than 20 different clay samples from
around the world to investigate their antibacterial activities. In
collaboration with study co-leader Shelley Haydel, Ph.D., a
microbiologist with Arizona State, the researchers tested each of the
clays against several different bacteria known to cause human diseases.
These bacteria include MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus),
Mycobacterium ulcerans (a microbe related to the tuberculosis bacterium
that causes a flesh-eating disease known as Buruli ulcer), as well as E.
coli and Salmonella (which cause food poisoning). The researchers
identified at least three clays that killed or significantly reduced the
growth of these bacteria.
The researchers are working to identify the specific compounds in the
clays that may be responsible for its antibacterial activity. Using
electron and ion microscopy, the researchers are also exploring how
these antibacterial clays interact with the cell membranes of the
bacteria in order to find out how they kill.
Williams and Haydel are continuing to test new clay samples from around
the world to determine their
germ-fighting potential. They hope that the more promising clays will be
developed into a skin ointment or pill to fight a variety of bacterial
infections or possibly as an agricultural wash to prevent food
poisoning. Several companies have expressed interest in forming
partnerships to develop the clays as antimicrobial agents, the
scientists say.
But ordinary mud can contain dangerous bacteria as well as toxic
minerals like arsenic and mercury, the
researchers point out. Until healing clays are developed that are
scientifically proven, which could take
several years, handwashing and other proper hygiene techniques may be
your best bet for keeping MRSA and other harmful bacteria at bay, they
say.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug
Administration. This product is not
intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.