CHICAGO, Sept. 21 -- Statins, widely used for their anti-cholesterol properties, also appear to have anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties, researchers said here.

That finding may explain, in part, why some observational studies have found that statin users are less susceptible to infections, according to Jon Cohen, MBBS, of Brighton and Sussex Medical School in Brighton, England.

The anti-bacterial effect -- seen so far only in the lab -- is "modest" and doesn't mean that statins can be used as antibiotics, Dr. Cohen told attendees at the Interscience Conference on Anti-microbial Agents and Chemotherapy.

But it may point the way to new antibiotics derived from the statins, he said.

"If the chemists were to go away and play with the structure of these drugs, they might be able to come up with new antibiotics," he said.