Honey can reverse antibiotic resistance

Honey can reverse antibiotic resistance

Manuka honey could be an efficient way to clear chronically infected wounds and could even help reverse bacterial resistance to antibiotics, according to research presented at the Society for General Microbiology's Spring Conference in Harrogate.

Professor Rose Cooper from the University of Wales Institute Cardiff is looking at how manuka honey interacts with three types of bacteria that commonly infest wounds: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Group A Streptococci and Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Her group has found that honey can interfere with the growth of these bacteria in a variety of ways and suggests that honey is an attractive option for the treatment of drug-resistant wound infections.

Honey has long been acknowledged for its antimicrobial properties. Traditional remedies containing honey were used in the topical treatment of wounds by diverse ancient civilisations. Manuka honey is derived from nectar collected by honey bees foraging on the manuka tree in New Zealand and is included in modern licensed wound-care products around the world. However, the antimicrobial properties of honey have not been fully exploited by modern medicine as its mechanisms of action are not yet known.

Professor Cooper's group is helping to solve this problem by investigating at a molecular level the ways in which manuka honey inhibits wound-infecting bacteria. "Our findings with streptococci and pseudomonads suggest that manuka honey can hamper the attachment of bacteria to tissues which is an essential step in the initiation of acute infections. Inhibiting attachment also blocks the formation of biofilms, which can protect bacteria from antibiotics and allow them to cause persistent infections," explained Professor Cooper. "Other work in our lab has shown that honey can make MRSA more sensitive to antibiotics such as oxacillin - effectively reversing antibiotic resistance. This indicates that existing antibiotics may be more effective against drug-resistant infections if used in combination with manuka honey."

This research may increase the clinical use of manuka honey as doctors are faced with the threat of diminishingly effective antimicrobial options. "We need innovative and effective ways of controlling wound infections that are unlikely to contribute to increased antimicrobial resistance. We have already demonstrated that manuka honey is not likely to select for honey-resistant bacteria," said Professor Cooper. At present, most antimicrobial interventions for patients are with systemic antibiotics. "The use of a topical agent to eradicate bacteria from wounds is potentially cheaper and may well improve antibiotic therapy in the future. This will help reduce the transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria from colonised wounds to susceptible patients."

Provided by Society for General Microbiology

medicalxpress.com...

Good idea...

But we're kinda lacking on bees...

Originally posted by FraternitasSaturni
Good idea...

But we're kinda lacking on bees...

They made a discovery which could help the population problem

Scientist Creates QueenBees

Originally posted by wisdomnotemotion
"The use of a topical agent to eradicate bacteria from wounds is potentially cheaper and may well improve antibiotic therapy in the future. This will help reduce the transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria from colonised wounds to susceptible patients."

natural, no need of chemical to produce it, cheaper, less spreading of disease...

does not fit in the business plan of the pharmacorps that look after our health (cynical laugh); much more fitting in the list of natural and efficient treatment to forbid (by law, copyright fallacy or more extreme means...)

reply to post by FraternitasSaturni


Start your own Bee Colony.

Go for it...I did. They are incredible creatures really.

Well worth the effort.

reply to post by wisdomnotemotion


Good to know. Thanks for posting this. Someone recently told me to eat locally grown honey to help alleviate an allergic reaction to pollen and things like that in the air. It makes good sense. Locally grown honey only will work for the allergies since the local bees are making honey from the plants you will be exposed to and that helps you build an immunity.

Originally posted by Wildmanimal
reply to post by FraternitasSaturni

 

Start your own Bee Colony.

Go for it...I did. They are incredible creatures really.

Well worth the effort.

This is the coolest thing I have heard in quite some time.

They forgot to mention: NEVER GIVE HONEY TO AN INFANT! It can threaten their lives.

kidshealth.org...


Now I feel better.

My OH developed a skin condition on his hand months ago, doctor has tried treating it with all sorts of creams and antibiotics, none of them have worked, some even made it worse. I have been putting Manuka honey on it and there is a massive improvement after just a few days.

So when I woke up with a cold sore on my lip this morning, I made up a batch of lip salve using Manuka honey, lemon balm and aloe vera, no pain or tingling by this afternoon.......... of course it could be any one of those ingredients that done it.

Thank you for this thread. I have been on anti-biotic almost continuously since I was a child, due to reoccurring ear,sinus throat infections. I think its pretty bad when Cipro and Levaquin don't touch your infections any more. I will have have to try this.

Originally posted by FraternitasSaturni
Good idea...

But we're kinda lacking on bees...

It's a bit of a hyped phenomena.

The colonies that have been hit hardest by colony-collapse-syndrome are of the "rental" variety. Bees are trucked around the country to farms to pollinate them. If you're a bee farmer - it's where the big bucks are. Of course, anyone can imagine that trucking bees around and having them interact with thousands of other colonies over thousands of cumulative square miles is going to take its toll.

Most farmers who keep bees locally have not had many, if any problems with colony collapse syndrome.

The real problem is that locally raised bees and bee farms cannot realistically provide the 'pollination power' to keep pace with agricultural demand. As such - we will see increased food prices as yields drop.

The problem (and desire to find a solution) is more industrially related, as we need to ... 'manufacture' a bee that is agreeable to the demands we place upon rental colonies.

That said - honey is a rather interesting product (as are many things derived from bees). It's a survivalist's food, for certain. It stores/keeps well, has a rather high caloric content, makes a number of other foods more palatable, and is a very effective antiseptic that keeps skin moist and has a number of nutrients cells can use for tissue repair.

Though I am not sure what, exactly, is different about honeys made from different nectars (or how one would go about controlling/determining what bees have really been using to make their honey).

I do know that spun clover honey makes some damned fine spread on a piece of toast, though.