Add some spice: Curcumin helps treat Mycobacterium abscessus

Mycobacterium abscessus is a fast-growing, pathogenic mycobacteria that can cause lung infections, and people who have respiratory conditions or are immunocompromised face a higher risk. It can also cause skin infections.

The microbe is closely related to the one that causes tuberculosis and is naturally resistant to many antibiotics. Infections often require a year or more of a combination of drugs.

A study published this week in Microbiology Spectrum reports a potential way to improve treatment: Add a little spice. Researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, in China, found that adding curcumin boosts the efficacy of bedaquiline, an antimycobacterial used to treat tuberculosis, in combating M. abscessus infections. Curcumin is the compound that gives turmeric its characteristic bright orange color.

"This low-toxicity natural product combined with existing drugs could pioneer new treatment pathways for resistant infections," said microbiologist Zhe Wang, Ph.D, senior author on the study. "It's particularly relevant in immunocompromised populations," who are more vulnerable to these infections.

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