Breast Cancer Drug 'Tamoxifen' Can Be Used To Wipe Out Killer Superbugs: Study

Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) superbug is one of the hardest creatures to get rid of. The killer bug is resistant to a majority of the antibiotics and lead to a number of complications in humans.

It is estimated that nearly 5,000 people in the U.S. died because of an infection caused by the MRSA superbug. Sometimes, the infection may even lead to loss of limbs in an individual.

Researchers around the world have been trying to find a way to eliminate superbugs from the lives of the humans, however, no success was achieved until the latest research put forward by a team at the University of California-San Diego.

According to the researchers, the drug commonly used to treat breast cancer patients, tamoxifen, can be effectively used to kill the superbugs. In addition to the anti-estrogen role that it performs while fighting the cancer in the body of the patient, the research team says that it leads to an excessive production of neutrophil extracellular traps.

The Washington Post reported that the neutrophilextracellular traps are on the front lines of the body's defense system against infection, and thus helps prevent chances of any infection.

To test the effect of the drug, the researchers injected mice with the drug tamoxifen. In addition, they were injected with a dose of MRSA considered to be enough to kill them. Surprisingly, the team observed that the chances of survival of the mice had increased by a third.

However, the researchers say that the result findings are preliminary since the effect of the drug has only been studied in mice. Further testing and research is required before implementing the conclusion on humans.

"We believe this is part of the larger need that we have in medicine to move to a more holistic approach to treating infections," said researcher Victor Nizet, in a statement.