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It’s more bad news for vampires, but good news for the fight against food-borne illness: a compound in garlic is extremely effective at fighting Campylobacter, bacteria that frequently cause intestinal infections. The work is in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. [Xiaonan Lu et al., "Antimicrobial effect of diallyl sulphide on Campylobacter jejuni biofilms"]
Campylobacter causes problems in part because its cells produce a slime that holds them together in a biofilm. This biofilm sticks to food and food preparation surfaces, helping contamination spread. And it protects the bacteria from antibiotics.
Researchers tried treating Campylobacter jejuni with two common antibiotics, as well as with diallyl sulfide, the compound derived from garlic.
The antibiotics did some damage. But the garlic compound worked faster and was a hundred times as effective. It quickly infiltrated the biofilm, and killed the bacteria, apparently by inhibiting the functions of enzymes.
Eating garlic won’t slay Campylobacter. But diallyl sulfide could one day be used to clean surfaces used for food preparation, and to stop bacteria from colonizing packaged foods, like salads and deli meats. Which may annoy any vampires getting by on rare roast beef.
—Sophie Bushwick
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]
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6 Comments
Add CommentThis isn't too surprising coming from the alliums, but I was under the impression that garlic was also a common source of botulinum spores, which is why deli meats require the addition of nitrates, or for the naive 'natural' parents out there, 'celery extract.' I suppose we can always just treat the garlic with ammonia first.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWon't somebody please think of the vampires!!?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisGarlic also stabilizes your blood pressure, and it is a thousand times safer than any chemical medicine you can use and it has no side effects, and it will not kill you if you stop using it.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAs long as you don't count stinky breath as side effect.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this:)
Maybe the spores are in the remnants of the root-clump that's at the center of the bottom of each bulb and clove?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBut then again, they do grow underground, don't they?
Almost forgot my anecdote!:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOn some early '70s advice, I put half a raw clove in my outer ear canal (cut end facing in) while experiencing an apparent ear infection. Lo and Behold!, it was gone like the next day, man!
On the flip-side, around the same era, I had a cold coming on and popped a raw clove down the gullet, on an empty stomach, and found myself doubled up on the floor in a few minutes in intense cramping-burning pain right about at the solar-plexus! Not recommended on an empty stomach!
Sadly, I can't remember if it cured the cold.