Bacterial infections not only cause disease by their presence but also upon the release of toxins. The common enteric bacteria, E. coli O157:H7 releases such toxins (Stx-1) upon treatment with antibiotics. These toxins, when released into the lumen of the intestinal tract, will cause cellular damage thus increasing the severity of the infection. Thus not only does the patient become sick by the infection, but treatment can exacerbate the condition and clinical picture. Further, the indiscriminate use of antibiotics has lead to an increase in the number of resistant strains thus limiting the effectiveness of therapy as well.

The disclosed invention uses an extract from the bracts of Humulus lupulus that binds the toxins thus eliminating them as a source of cellular damage. The enclosed methods and devices to isolate such polyphenolic components, the methods to use such components in the detection of such bacteria in biological samples and potential therapies based on the isolated components.