Onions could hold key to fighting antibiotic resistance

A type of onion could help the fight against antibiotic resistance in cases of tuberculosis, a UCL and Birkbeck-led study suggests. Researchers believe the antibacterial properties extracted from the Persian shallot could increase the effects of existing antibiotic treatment. The study, published in Scientific Reports , was led by Dr Sanjib Bhakta of Birkbeck, University of London and UCL's Professor Simon Gibbons , who worked with a team of scientists from Birkbeck, UCL, the University of Greenwich, the University of East London and Royal Free Hospital. When a patient has a bacterial infection, they may be prescribed an antibiotic. In the case of TB, they will likely be prescribed a cocktail of four antibiotics including Isoniazid and Rifampicin - but increasingly, the pathogens in bacterial infections are developing resistance to antibiotic drugs. This means the drug loses its ability to effectively control or kill harmful bacteria, and is free to grow and cause further damage to the patient which, can be passed along to the population at large. Therefore, there is a pressing need to develop new classes of antibacterials to combat antibiotic resistance, which this research may help progress.