Activity of honey .pdf

Activity of honey against wound-infecting bacteria (including 'superbugs")
Summarised below are results from published work carried out by the Honey Research Unit and collaborators, using standardised honeys of average-level antibacterial potency (as are available commercially). The honeys used were a manuka honey (with its antibacterial component unique to honeys from Leptospermum species) and another honey that had the usual type of antibacterial activity due to enzymically produced hydrogen peroxide. Minimum concentration of honey (%, v/v) in the growth medium needed to completely inhibit the growth of
various species of wound-infecting bacteria
(From: Willix, D. J.; Molan, P. C.; Harfoot, C. J. (1992) A comparison of the sensitivity of wound-infecting species of
bacteria to the antibacterial activity of manuka honey and other honey. Journal of Applied Bacteriology 73 : 388-394)
(Note: the manuka honey had catalase added to remove hydrogen peroxide, so that only the unique Leptospermum antibacterial component was being tested. Minimum concentration values would be approximately halved if the catalase were not added and the hydrogen peroxide were also involved in the antibacterial activity.)
Minimum inhibitory concentration of honey for 20 strains of Pse udomonas isolated from infected wounds
(From: Cooper, R. A.; Molan, P. C. (1999) The use of honey as an antiseptic in managing Pseudomonas infection.
Journal of Wound Care 8 (4): 161-164)

Minimum inhibitory concentration of honey for 58 strains of coagulase -positive Staphylococcus aureus
isolated from infected wounds
(From: Cooper, R. A.; Molan, P. C.; Harding, K. G. (1999) Antibacterial activity of honey against strains of
Staphylococcus aureus from infected wounds. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 92: 283-285)
(Thus growth of S. aureus would still be prevented if honeys were diluted by body fluids 7- to 14-fold beyond the point where the sugar content was ineffective.) Minimum inhibitory concentration of honey for some MRSA strains
(From: Molan, P.; Brett, M. (1998). “Honey has potential as a dressing for wounds infected with MRSA.” The Second Australian Wound Management Association Conference, Brisbane, Australia.) (MIC = minimum inhibitory concentration; MBC = minimum bactericidal concentration) Note: MR96 808 is resistant to Methicillin, Mupirocin, Erythromycin, Clindamycin, Gentamicin, Trimethoprim/Sulphamethoxazole, and Ciprofloxacin Summary of some unpublished work (just completed), in collaboration with the Central Public Health
Laboratory, Colindale, London, on MRSA (methicillin-resi stant Staphylococcus aureus) and VRE
(vancomycin-resistant Enterococci):

No. of cultures with that MIC
MRSA (82 cultures tested)
Manuka honey

(MIC = minimum inhibitory concentration)
Mupirocin-resistant MRSA
Culture No.
Manuka honey
Pasture honey
(MIC = minimum inhibitory concentration)
VRE
No. of cultures with that MIC

Pasture honey (34 cultures tested)

Acinetobacter (5 cultures tested)

No. of cultures with that MIC

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (4 cultures tested)

No. of cultures with that MIC
Recent work carried out collaboratively by Dr. Rose Cooper of the Wound Healing Research Unit at the University of Wales, Cardiff: β -HAEMOLYTIC STREPTOCOCCI
Manuka honey
Pasture honey

Source: http://www.angelsweb.biz/Activity%20of%20honey%20against%20wound-infecting%20bacteria%20(including%20superbugs).pdf