A compound made by cannabis plants has been found to wipe out drug-resistant bacteria and break down persistent films of the microbes, raising hopes for a new weapon in the fight against superbugs.
Scientists screened five cannabis compounds for their antibiotic properties and found that one, cannabigerol or CBG, was particularly potent at killing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA, one of the most common hospital superbugs.
Tests in the lab showed that CBG, which is not psychoactive, killed common MRSA microbes and “persister” cells that are especially resistant to antibiotics and which often drive repeat infections. The compound also cleared up hard-to-shift “biofilms” of MRSA that can form on the skin and on medical implants.
