MRSA Superbug Killed by 1000-Year-Old Medieval Eye Infection Treatment

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A 1,000-year-old Anglo-Saxon salve of onion, garlic, and part of a cow's stomach could potentially eradicate the MRSA superbug problem.

An Anglo-Saxon Expert, Christina Lee, of the University of Nottingham, spotted the eye infection remedy in a medical volume called Bald's Leechbook that was held in the British Library in London. According to CBS News, it is one of the earliest known textbooks in medicine dating back to the 10th Century.

When they tested the mixture to the superbug Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureu (MRSA) in lab-cultured Petri dishes and on the infected wounds of mice, they found that it killed 999 out of 1,000 bacterial cells.

"We thought that Bald's eye salve might show a small amount of antibiotic activity, because each of the ingredients has been shown by other researchers to have some effect on bacteria in the lab," says Freya Harrison, one of the lead Nottingham researchers, in a statement. "But we were absolutely blown away by just how effective the combination of ingredients was."

Lee and her team were "astonished" as they studied the results of their experiments. She believes that modern research can learn more from past knowledge and findings that are found in old world tomes and medical books.

"When we built this recipe in the lab I didn't really expect it to actually do anything," microbiologist Steve Diggle said, noted CBS. "When we found that it could actually disrupt and kill cells in S. aureus biofilms, I was genuinely amazed. Biofilms are naturally antibiotic resistant and difficult to treat so this was a great result."

The group of researchers recreated the 10th century concoction according to its original instructions. The text was translated from Old English, and in the recipe they made use of two species of Allium (garlic and onion or leek), wine, and bile from a cow's stomach. They let the potion brew in a brass pot, then strained through a cloth, and left to sit for nine days, according to ABC News.

The AncientBiotics team at the University of Nottingham is currently looking for more funding to further their research. The preliminary study was presented at the conference of the Social for General Microbiology in Birmingham in England last Wednesday.

According to the U.S. CDC, the MRSA has become a major problem in the healthcare industry. It affects around 90,000 Americans yearly and has already costed billions of dollars. The MRSA kills off around 20,000 people each year.