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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsCan nasal Neosporin fight COVID? Surprising new research suggests it works
Last edited Sun Apr 28, 2024, 01:04 AM - Edit history (1)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/27/can-nasal-neosporin-fight-covid-surprising-new-research-suggests-it-worksFour years ago, when COVID-19 first began to spread globally, it didn't just damage our physical health, but also the health of our information ecosystem. Ever since, the internet has been rife with health misinformation on ways to treat or protect oneself against the coronavirus. First, internet healers falsely suggested that gargling salt water and vinegar could prevent a coronavirus infection. Then, despite multiple studies debunking the effectiveness of ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug used in horses (and less commonly in humans), Joe Rogan fans continued to cling onto it as a potential treatment.
Health misinformation is a symptom of a lack of certainty. When there is no guaranteed preventative measure or treatment, people are bound to find solutions on their own. Thanks to cognitive biases like confirmation bias, they might even appear to work. But what if a way to reduce exposure to COVID-19, and treat it, was hiding in our medicine cabinets all along and it wasnt pseudoscience?
A new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that neomycin, an ingredient in the first aid ointment Neosporin, may prevent or treat a range of respiratory viral infections such as COVID-19 and influenza when applied to the nose.
In the study, researchers found that mice who had neomycin in their nostrils exhibited strong antiviral activity against both SARS-CoV- 2 and a highly virulent strain of influenza A virus. It also mitigated contact transmission of SARS-CoV- 2 between hamsters.
*snip*
dweller
(23,870 posts)Results in 404 page not found
✌🏻
Celerity
(44,479 posts)Nevilledog
(51,815 posts)Nevilledog
(51,815 posts)littlemissmartypants
(23,200 posts)Wounded Bear
(59,038 posts)womanofthehills
(8,908 posts)Along with Mt Sinai.
She has Twitter threads on this:
Shes one of Times most influential people of 2024.
Preventing infection is the best way to avoid diseases like #PAIS. A new study from our team @tianyangmao, Jooyoung Kim, @marioph13 et al shows that a generic antibiotic neomycin acts on the host immune system in the👃🏽to trigger antiviral resistance. (1/)🧵
pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pn
There is a whole thread- with lots of info -also prevents flu in mice and can be used when mice already have covid.
Link to tweet
?s=46&t=YZgyyp4w_z7vW3neKxa6cQ
We could also treat mice already infected with SARS-CoV-2 with nasal application of neomycin 4 hours later, in a dose-dependent manner. This led to viral load reduction and increased survival. @tianyangmao (5/)
elleng
(132,188 posts)so now gotta get it up our noses!!!
DET
(1,389 posts)Neomycin/Neosporin is an antibiotic. Covid is viral. Antibiotics dont work against viral infections. What am I missing?
Duppers
(28,151 posts)Sympthsical
(9,238 posts)Now why that is is up in the air. It was first observed in vaginal mucosa. Keeping it as lay person as possible, scientists were just testing the effects of antibiotics on mice. They noticed when they were used to treat vaginal bacterial infections, they were providing resistance to viruses. Upon further research, they realized the antibiotics were triggering expression of a gene in cells that helps the immune system fight viruses.
So, they were curious. The upper respiratory tract is full of mucosal cells. Maybe antibiotics will cause the same effect and assist in the immune response to viruses as well. If we deal with viruses in the upper respiratory tract, we fight them off a lot better. Once they're in the lower tract - our lungs - that's when the Covid shitshow really starts.
That seems to be maybe the case here. They tested it on mice, then hamsters, then a human pilot program. Antibiotics in the upper respiratory tract triggered the antiviral immune response, reducing viral replication and infection.
So it's not that the antibiotics are killing the virus - they aren't. They're just triggering mucous cells in such a way that they become more resistant to viruses and/or able to fight them off more effectively.
It's interesting, because they weren't exactly looking for or expecting this effect. And they're not entirely sure why the antibiotics are triggering gene expression. They have some ideas, but that would require follow up studies to pin down.
senseandsensibility
(17,566 posts)explanation.
Sympthsical
(9,238 posts)I read the whole study, and it's super interesting if you're into that sort of thing. Being in school for nursing and all the attendant microbiology and physiology classes, I was able to follow along.
I love the insight that these researchers had. "Wait a minute, this changes mucous cells here. I wonder if it changes mucous cells there. And if it does . . ."
When science is done well, it's so fascinating to watch.
womanofthehills
(8,908 posts)Link to tweet
?s=46&t=YZgyyp4w_z7vW3neKxa6cQ
This work is inspired by @SmitaGopinath et al who showed that an antibiotic class called aminoglycosides has an unusual antiviral property. Aminoglycosides including neomycin trigger interferon-stimulated genes through a TLR3-dependent mechanism. (2/)
SWBTATTReg
(22,535 posts)such, and a lot. An antibacterial vs. a antiviral? Maybe it's both?
littlemissmartypants
(23,200 posts)I'm glad it may work for others though. Maybe human trials are not far off.
Full disclosure, I didn't read the study.❤️
Hekate
(91,632 posts)littlemissmartypants
(23,200 posts)wishstar
(5,282 posts)rather than healing so I definitely wouldn't apply it to my nose or any other sensitive areas.
littlemissmartypants
(23,200 posts)Laurelin
(548 posts)So is one of my daughters. So in my nuclear family that's 50%. 🙃 No clue about the general population though, especially since we're allergic to multiple antibiotics.
littlemissmartypants
(23,200 posts)womanofthehills
(8,908 posts)(They first realized this when women who were transitioning started taking testosterone and their Long Covid cleared up)
Females with LC had significantly lower testosterone levels. Using logistic regression, @SilvaJ_C found testosterone to be the top negative hormone predictor of LC status in females based on per unit odds ratio. Thus, in females, the lower the testosterone, the more likely to have LC. (7/)
thread:
Link to tweet
?s=46&t=YZgyyp4w_z7vW3neKxa6cQ
womanofthehills
(8,908 posts)Human trials have started - very promising.
indigovalley
(114 posts)I've heard its only a small percent of people who are allergic to neomycin. I can't touch the stuff and have a significant problem with allergies to antibiotics in general. I don't react to mupirocin (Bactroban). I wonder if that works the same although I read the nasal version was discontinued in the United States.
littlemissmartypants
(23,200 posts)BigmanPigman
(51,810 posts)Now I wonder if I should apply some to the inside of my nose.
My neurologist gives me Botox injections into my scalp every 3 months and I asked what causes migraines etc and they still aren't sure but it is considered a form of brain disease. Doctors didn't know it worked for migraines until they looked at all the "side effects" of using it for cosmetic reasons. The patients told their doctors that they noticed their migraines went away along with their wrinkles.
I'm all for more research.
Delmette2.0
(4,190 posts)The remaining few were post stress.
When the stress was gone ( moving day) I would crash with a migraine.
womanofthehills
(8,908 posts)Take some Ashwagandha to raise your testosterone levels. New studies - testosterone can help Long Covid and MS. 🙃🙃
Lemon Lyman
(1,373 posts)I'm always wondering about all the things like this you hear about, then there's very little follow-up saying aye or nay.
I remember years ago when Covid was raging (spring 2020 or 2021) that they were seeing good results in patients who were already taking Famotidine (Pepcid). I think they gave it numnuts when he went to the hospital with Covid. I'd never seen follow-up results. I just looked at the Wiki and it sounds like they found out it doesn't help with Covid.
Same goes for detection and such. There'd be an article about a team at MIT coming up with an oral or nasal at-home test (a really easy version). Then, nothing. Maybe there wasn't enough a market for it or something.
womanofthehills
(8,908 posts)They are already doing studies on humans with initial good response.
Bucky
(54,244 posts)scarletlib
(3,429 posts)He swears by it and it has to be the original brand.. He wont use a generic.
FakeNoose
(33,418 posts)... probably makes a lot of the no-brand versions as well. It's called "private label" marketing and the lower-priced generic products mostly come from the same source as the national-brand.
They don't necessarily want us to know that.
cbabe
(3,655 posts)wound care. Cautions against overuse of antibiotics like neosporin.
Lemon Lyman
(1,373 posts)I think this has come up in the past on DU...studies or suggestions about this maybe working for Covid.
When I went to an immunologist for allergy testing. They did the thing where they prick your back with different allergens (20 maybe?). I remember my response to grass and animal dander were both off the charts. The nurse said one of them (forget which) was the worst response she'd ever seen.
The Dr. wanted me to get rid of our cat. I'm like, "Yeah. Not happening dumbass." But due to allergies I had sore(s) in my nose. He said put Neosporin up there to heal it. I don't like doing it b/c you breath it/swallow it and it tastes like crap. Really helps with sores though, as it's designed to do.