Traditional Medicine Combination Therapy Is A Promising Strategy for MRSA Infection

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a superbug that often causes serious inflammation-related injuries. Host immune defense against MRSA infection and MRSA immune evasion strategies are the main mechanisms of these injuries. Conventional drugs, such as antibiotics, optimized antibiotics and vaccines, can treat MRSA infections, but their use is limited because of drug-resistance and impairment of immunity. Traditional medicine (TM) therapies, presently used to address these unmet clinical needs and treat injuries, are regarded as a potential solution to combat MRSA infection. This review systematically summarizes the immune mechanisms of MRSA infection, analyzes the efficacy characteristics and corresponding mechanisms of conventional and TM therapies in treating injuries, and discusses the potential advantages of combined therapy. Furthermore, several appropriate immune responses-related conditions that could be treated with the combination therapy were summarized, and new perspectives on the clinical and basic research on this combination therapy were proposed. This review lays a foundation for the development of anti-MRSA therapies and provides novel strategies and methods for the treatment of inflammation-related injuries caused by multiple drug-resistant bacteria.