Assessment of the in vitro antibacterial activity of honey on some common human pathogens
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to assess the in vitro antibacterial activity of bee honey on certain potentially pathogenic bacterial isolates. Different concentrations (10.0, 20.0, 40.0, 60.0, 80.0 and 100.0%) of honey sample were checked for their antibacterial activities, using disc diffusion assay, on some medically important bacteria including Escherichia coli, Klebsiella sp., Salmonella sp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter sp., Staphylococcus aureus, and Proteus sp. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the honey sample were determined on the selected bacteria using agar dilution technique. The sample of honey showed pronounced bacterial inhibitory effect in vitro at honey concentrations of 40% and above on the various tested bacteria. No growth inhibition effect was observed at 10% concentration of honey. The MIC for the tested bacteria ranged between 12.5 and 25.0%. The MIC for Klebsiella sp. and S. aureus was 12.5% while for Proteus sp., the MIC was 25.0%. All the other tested bacterial isolates showed MIC value of 15%. The study shows that honey, like antibiotics, has certain organisms sensitive to it, and provides alternative therapy against certain bacteria and is also shown to have antibacterial action against a broad spectrum of bacteria, both gram- positive and gram-negative bacteria
References
Abd-El Aal AM, El-Hadidy MR, El-Mashad NB, El-Sebaie AH. 2007. Antimicrobial effect of bee honey in comparison to antibiotics on organisms isolated from infected burns. Ann. Burns Fire Disas., XX (2):83-88.
Allen KL, Hutchinson G, Molan PC. 2000. The potential for using honey to treat wounds infected with MRSA and VRE. First World Healing Congress, Melbourne, Australia, September, 10-13.
Al-Waili NS. 2004. Investigating the antimicrobial activity of natural honey and its effects on the pathogenic bacterial infections of surgical wounds and conjunctiva. Journ. Med. Food 7(2):210-222.
Basson NJ, Grobler SR. 2008. Antimicrobial activity of two South African honeys produced from indigenous Leucospermum cordifolium and Erica species on selected microorganisms. BMC Complem. Alt. Med., 8:41-44.
Bauer AW, Kirby WMM, Sheris JC, Turck M. 1966. Antibiotics susceptibility testing by standardized single disk method. Am. J. Clin. Pathol., 45:493-496.
Bilal AN, Molan PC, Sallal AK. 1998. Antimicrobial activity of honey on selected microorganisms: A preliminary study. Biomed. Res. (India). 9:51-54.
Bogdanov S. 1989. Characterization of antibacterial substance in honey. Lebensm Wiss. Technol., 17(2):74-76.
Ceyhan N, Ugur A. 2001. Investigation of in vitro antimicrobial activity of honey, Rivista di Biologia 94:363-371.
Cooper R, Molan PC. 1999. The use of honey as an antiseptic in managing Pseudomonas infection. J. Wound Care1 8(4):161-164.
Efem F. 1988. Clinical observations on the wound healing properties of honey. Br. J. Surg. 75:679-681.
Gaill W, Washington JA. 1995. Antimicrobial susceptibility test : dilution and disk diffusion methods. Mnual of Clinical Microbiology. 6th Edn., 1327-1332.
Kingsley A. 2001. The use of honey in the treatment of infected wound. Br. J. Nurs., 10 (22 Suppl.): S13–6, S18 and S20.
Kwakman PH. 2008. Medical-grade honey kills antibiotic-resistant bacteria in vitro and eradicates skin colonization. Clin Infect Dis., 46:1677-82.
Melissa AM, Olga IPZ, Randy WW. 2004. Growth inhibition of food borne pathogens and food spoilage organisms by select raw honeys. Inter. J. Fd Microbiol., 97:1-8.
Molan PC. 1992a. The antibacterial activity of honey. 1. The nature of the antibacterial activity. Bee World 73:5-28.
Molan PC. 1992b. The Antibacterial Activity of Honey.2. Variation in the potency of the antibacterial activity. Bee World 73:59-76.
Mulu A, Tessema B, Derbie F. 2004. In vitro assessment of the antimicrobial potential of honey on common human pathogens. Ethiop. J. Health Dev., 18(2):107-111.
Nzeako BC, Hamdi J. 2000. Antimicrobial potential of honey on some microbial isolates, Med. Sci., 2:75-79.
Obi CL, Ugoji EO, Edun SA, Lawal SF, Anyiwo CE. 1994. The antibacterial effect of honey on diarrhea causing bacterial agents isolated in Lagos, Nigeria. Afr. J.Med. Sci., 23:257-260.
Taormina PJ, Niemira BA, Bauchat LR. 2001. Inhibitory activity of honey against foodborne pathogens as influenced by the presence of hydrogen peroxide and level of antioxidant power. Inter. J. Fd Microbiol., 69:217-225.
Wahdan HAL. 1998. Causes of the antimicrobial activity of honey. Infection 26(1):26-31.
Willix DJ, Molan PC, Harfoot CG. 1992. A comparison of the sensitivity of wound-infecting species of bacteria to the antibacterial activity of manuka honey and other honey. J. Appl. Bacteriol., 73(5):388-94.
