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Demodex control with antibiotics: why and how?
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Demodex control with antibiotics: why and how?
The Demodex mite is part of normal skin flora but is often implicated in conditions like rosacea, folliculitis and blepharitis (inflammation of the eyelids).
Erythromycin is an effective treatment. Its mechanism of action is to bind to the 50s subunit of the ribosome (involved in manufacturing proteins in cells) and so inhibits the synthesis of proteins. While humans do not have this 50s ribosomal subunit, other species do, including many bacteria and parasites, so erythromycin can be effective.
This goes for other antibiotics too. For example, metronidazole is used to treat the parasitic bowel infestation giardiasis.
Interestingly, macrolide antibiotics (of which erythromycin is one example), have also been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects and also have a pro-kinetic effect on the stomach; increasing its contractions and speed of emptying. It is sometimes used for this effect alone in conditions like gastric stasis and diabetic gastroparesis, where the stomach is slow to empty. This paper has some more information.
Antibiotics are drugs, and like many drugs can have multiple effects beside their most common use of combating bacterial infections.
However, they still don’t work on viruses like cold and flu! :)
The Demodex mite is part of normal skin flora but is often implicated in conditions like rosacea, folliculitis and blepharitis (inflammation of the eyelids).
Erythromycin is an effective treatment. Its mechanism of action is to bind to the 50s subunit of the ribosome (involved in manufacturing proteins in cells) and so inhibits the synthesis of proteins. While humans do not have this 50s ribosomal subunit, other species do, including many bacteria and parasites, so erythromycin can be effective.
This goes for other antibiotics too. For example, metronidazole is used to treat the parasitic bowel infestation giardiasis.
Interestingly, macrolide antibiotics (of which erythromycin is one example), have also been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects and also have a pro-kinetic effect on the stomach; increasing its contractions and speed of emptying. It is sometimes used for this effect alone in conditions like gastric stasis and diabetic gastroparesis, where the stomach is slow to empty. This paper has some more information.
Antibiotics are drugs, and like many drugs can have multiple effects beside their most common use of combating bacterial infections.
However, they still don’t work on viruses like cold and flu! :)
The existence of ribosomes susceptible to erythromycin in pluricellular, eukaryotic animals like Demodex is the main question here, and it has not been demonstrated or refuted in this answer.More
@ElianeB. Thanks for your input - it’s great to get some feedback from someone with knowledge on the topic. While I have mentioned (briefly, I guess) the ribosomes and method of action, how should I improve that part of the answer? Do you think more detail would help? As the question seemed to be pitched at an overview level that’s where I aimed my answer, keeping the molecular biology bit brief! :) (I am not a molecular biologist)More
The Demodex mite is part of normal skin flora but is often implicated in conditions like rosacea, folliculitis and blepharitis (inflammation of the eyelids).
Erythromycin is an effective treatment. Its mechanism of action is to bind to the 50s subunit of the ribosome (involved in manufacturing proteins in cells) and so inhibits the synthesis of proteins. While humans do not have this 50s ribosomal subunit, other species do, including many bacteria and parasites, so erythromycin can be effective.
This goes for other antibiotics too. For example, metronidazole is used to treat the parasitic bowel infestation giardiasis.
Interestingly, macrolide antibiotics (of which erythromycin is one example), have also been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects and also have a pro-kinetic effect on the stomach; increasing its contractions and speed of emptying. It is sometimes used for this effect alone in conditions like gastric stasis and diabetic gastroparesis, where the stomach is slow to empty. This paper has some more information.
Antibiotics are drugs, and like many drugs can have multiple effects beside their most common use of combating bacterial infections.
However, they still don’t work on viruses like cold and flu! :)
Other sources
The Demodex mite is part of normal skin flora but is often implicated in conditions like rosacea, folliculitis and blepharitis (inflammation of the eyelids).
Erythromycin is an effective treatment. Its mechanism of action is to bind to the 50s subunit of the ribosome (involved in manufacturing proteins in cells) and so inhibits the synthesis of proteins. While humans do not have this 50s ribosomal subunit, other species do, including many bacteria and parasites, so erythromycin can be effective.
This goes for other antibiotics too. For example, metronidazole is used to treat the parasitic bowel infestation giardiasis.
Interestingly, macrolide antibiotics (of which erythromycin is one example), have also been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects and also have a pro-kinetic effect on the stomach; increasing its contractions and speed of emptying. It is sometimes used for this effect alone in conditions like gastric stasis and diabetic gastroparesis, where the stomach is slow to empty. This paper has some more information.
Antibiotics are drugs, and like many drugs can have multiple effects beside their most common use of combating bacterial infections.
However, they still don’t work on viruses like cold and flu! :)
Other sources
More
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