Manchester Scientists Do Essentially 'Oil' They Can to Combat MRSA
The University of Manchester
MRSA has dominated newspaper headlines in the past few months, which warn of a potential epidemic but Manchester scientists are working to combat the killer bacterium.
THE FACTS
MRSA stands for Methicillin-resistant staphlococcus aureus
It is estimated that infections contracted in hospitals, such as MRSA, kill 5, 000 people annually
MRSA is commonly carried in the nostrils
Established treatments have a relatively low success rate of 50%
Scientists at the University of Manchester have found that aromatherapy oils can be used to kill the deadly hospital-acquired infection, MRSA. Tests revealed that two essential oils destroyed MRSA and E. coli bacteria almost instantaneously.
The scientists are hoping that the oils can be blended into shampoos, soaps and shower gels in order to prevent the spread of the fatal infection in hospitals. The researchers are hoping to create an inhaler which can be used to combat the disease, which is commonly carried in the patients?? nostrils. The new treatment will benefit patients whose immune systems have been weakened by operations and treatments, such as chemotherapy, without causing any harm.
Submitted by: Shelley Deasey, 22 December 2004
