Researchers discover that B3 vitamins can fight of Staphylococcus bacteria

Researchers have found that vitamin B3 can be used as an effective weapon in the fight against superbugs such as MRSA.

Scientists in the United States found that vitamin, which is also known as nicotinamide, can help to increase the immunity of cells and kill the Staphylococcus bacteria.

Published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the study found that the B3 increases the numbers of efficiency of neutrophils, the while blood cells that destroy harmful bacteria in the body.

In recent years bugs like MRSA have been found on hospital wards and in care homes, but cases are also on the rise in prisons and military barracks.

B3 is normally obtained from dietary sources but concentration is often not high enough to fend off superbugs. However, the scientists found significantly improved results when they tested B3’s effects on animal and human blood.

They believe that B3 is able to switch on certain antimicrobial genes, which then increase the immune system’s killing power.

Professor Adrian Gombart, of Oregon State University's Linus Pauling Institute, said: "This is potentially very significant, although we still need to do human studies.

"Antibiotics are wonder drugs, but they face increasing problems with resistance by various types of bacteria, especially Staphylococcus aureus.

"This could give us a new way to treat Staph infections that can be deadly, and might be used in combination with current antibiotics.”

Professor Mark Enright, of the University of Bath, added that neutrophils are the front line of defence against infections getting into the blood and using B3 appears to be a safe for patients to use in controlled doses.

He believes that this discovery could lead to a major change in the way infections are treated and can be used alongside conventional antibiotics which help to bolster patients’ immune systems.