Manuka Honey can reverse antibiotic resistance

jfh · ï¿½ #1 ï¿½ 04-13-2011, 08:11 AM

ScienceDaily (Apr. 12, 2011) ï¿½ 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."

kind2creatures · ï¿½ #2 ï¿½ 04-17-2011, 08:11 PM

Manuka honey has many benefits, and I like the flavor, very rich, but too pricey to buy regularly. Here's a similar article from the HealthyFellow: https://www.healthyfellow.com/349/man...-wound-healer/

Arrowwind09 · ï¿½ #3 ï¿½ 04-18-2011, 09:05 AM

There is no indication that eating manuka honey will help with these diseases.

Using it on wounds may be an effective local application but it will not address colonization of MRSA which commonly happens in the nose and like regular staff, can live on skin almost anywhere, and commonly is found on hands.

Anyone putting it in their nose? haven't heard of it yet.
If you don't deal with colonization the problem will never get licked
and although the treatment of one or a couple of skin lsisons may take care of it for an individual they still need to be checked out for colonization with requires at least 3 negative nasal cultures..

if its still in the nose they may be at risk for further outbreaks and certianly they are putting their community and families at risk if they fail at the most stringent hygene protocols.

LadyK · ï¿½ #4 ï¿½ 06-20-2011, 08:02 PM

I'm starting to learn that honey has so many benefits!! It can even help keep up your metabolism to loose weight. Also it may help with excessive sweating. I'm going to try the remedy to see if it works.

Arrowwind09 · ï¿½ #5 ï¿½ 09-27-2011, 08:08 AM

I often wonder if it is actually something about honey that drops bacteria counts or if it is merely the sugar in it.

Remember, that jar of raspberry preserves sitting on your table, that never goes into the refrigerator, is preserved with sugar. Sugar kills bacteria. Period.

Historically per sugar has also been successful in wound treatments.

jfh · ï¿½ #6 ï¿½ 09-27-2011, 09:48 AM

I have heard that, about sugar healing wounds, but I think it is more the enzymes than the glucose. Manuka seems to have more or better enzymes. Otherwise, why is it singled out for such antibiotic resistance? Maybe it is a combination of enzymes and sugar that gives all honey an edge.

Arrowwind09 · ï¿½ #7 ï¿½ 09-27-2011, 02:37 PM

I am suspecting that it is marketing... I have read reports of regular honey doing the same thing.. Im watching this issue closely due to its reported use in MRSA. So far they have yet to show what it is about Manuka that is special.

Sugar when concentrated, kills bacteria. Period. It is one of the oldest preservatives known to man. This is why home canned fruits are legal for resale but home canned veggies and meat are not permitted for resale. The risk is greatly reduced due to the high sugar levels in the product.

truestorytotell · ï¿½ #8 ï¿½ 10-19-2011, 09:08 AM

if the manuka really does what it says here it does on external wounds,than my common sense tells me it does at least something internally too...

i mean if a bacteria on a wound cant stand the manuka honey,than something bad inside you also wont stand it,and even if thats not the case honey is healthy,apperently manuka honey is even healthier,and i do believe in it as long as its the ORIGINAL stuff,and not a jar of regular honey with a manuka sticker on it...