Can nasal Neosporin fight COVID? Surprising new research suggests it works

[Nevilledog]

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-works

Four 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 wasn’t 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]

1. Check your link

Results in 404 page not found



✌🏻

[Celerity]

2. working link

https://www.salon.com/2024/04/27/can-nasal-neosporin-fight-covid-surprising-new-research-suggests-it-works/


and the study



https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2319566121

[Nevilledog]

5. Thank you!

[Nevilledog]

4. Fixed it.... Not sure how that errant *b* got there

[Celerity]

7. theory

[littlemissmartypants]

18. It pays to bee alert. ❤️

[Nevilledog]

23. Ha!

[Wounded Bear]

3. Good news if true. Sounds like a more trusted source as well...nt

[womanofthehills]

24. Prof Akiko Iwasaki of Yale is doing LongCovid research

Along with Mt Sinai.

She has Twitter threads on this:

She’s one of Time’s 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.

https://x.com/virusesimmunity/status/1782535781338222960?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]

6. Good news. No medicine cabinet without it,

so now gotta get it up our noses!!!

[DET]

8. I Don't Get It

Neomycin/Neosporin is an antibiotic. Covid is viral. Antibiotics don’t work against viral infections. What am I missing?

[Duppers]

10. Same here - I m not understanding this.

[Sympthsical]

13. The antibiotics are triggering gene expression that boosts immune system

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]

33. Thank you for this accessible

explanation.

[Sympthsical]

36. You're welcome!

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]

25. From Prof Iwasaki of Yale Long Covid study

https://x.com/virusesimmunity/status/1782535783137542438?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]

9. Something is going on, strong antiviral responses, and I use the Neosporin lotions against my skin in case of rash or...

such, and a lot. An antibacterial vs. a antiviral? Maybe it's both?

[littlemissmartypants]

11. Unless you're allergic to it like I am to all of the mycin drugs.

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]

15. I am also allergic to neosporin ointment. However, if it helps others, I'm all for it.

[littlemissmartypants]

16. Interesting! How about that! ❤️

[wishstar]

19. I'm also allergic to neomycin- causes skin rash and inflammation

rather than healing so I definitely wouldn't apply it to my nose or any other sensitive areas.

[littlemissmartypants]

20. Interesting. I wonder what percentage of the population we are? ❤️

[Laurelin]

31. I'm allergic to it too

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]

35. Wow! Lots more of us than I realized. ❤️

[womanofthehills]

26. Testosterone is also promising

(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:
https://x.com/virusesimmunity/status/1764341554406195651?s=46&t=YZgyyp4w_z7vW3neKxa6cQ

[womanofthehills]

30. Follow Prof Iwasaki

Human trials have started - very promising.

[indigovalley]

37. I am also allergic to Neomycin--terrible skin rash from it

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]

38. So sorry to hear that. There are many more of us than I originally thought. ❤️

[BigmanPigman]

12. I just put some on a few cuts

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]

22. My migraines started to go away when I left my husband.

The remaining few were post stress.
When the stress was gone ( moving day) I would crash with a migraine.

[womanofthehills]

27. And, while you are putting it in your nose

Take some Ashwagandha to raise your testosterone levels. New studies - testosterone can help Long Covid and MS. 🙃🙃

[Lemon Lyman]

14. Hmmm...

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]

29. Follow Prof Iwasaki

They are already doing studies on humans with initial good response.

[Bucky]

17. especially if it chemically bonds with the bleach

[scarletlib]

21. My husband will be happy to hear this. He practically bathes in Neosporin every time he gets a scratch.

He swears by it and it has to be the original brand.. He won’t use a generic.

[FakeNoose]

32. Fun fact: Johnson & Johnson, the manufacturer of Neosporin

... 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]

28. My dermatologist recommends vasoline for

wound care. Cautions against overuse of antibiotics like neosporin.

[Lemon Lyman]

34. Interesting

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.