THE SENSITIVITY OF HONEY ON SOME SELECTED PATHOGENIC BACTERIA ASSOCIATED WITH WOUND INFECTIONS

THE SENSITIVITY OF HONEY ON SOME SELECTED PATHOGENIC BACTERIA ASSOCIATED WITH WOUND INFECTIONS

ABTRACT

Antibacterial research is geared toward the discovery and development of novel chemical structures that would serve as new therapeutic agents from natural substances. In this study, Honey was evaluated for in vitro antibacterial activity against 4 wound infection causing microbial strains (2 gram positive strains; Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogens and 2 gram negative strains; Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) using the disc diffusion method at three concentrations; 400, 200, and 100 mg/ml respectively. Honey showed significant antibacterial activity on the selected gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial strains tested. Highest antibacterial activity was exerted by honey on S. aureus at 400 mg/ml (15.67 ± 0.76 mm) and the least by honey on P. aeruginosa at 100 mg/ml (7.00 ± 1.50mm).The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) observed ranged from between 50 to 100 mg/ml whereas minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of 100 mg/ml was obtained for all microbes tested. The results obtained justify the use of honey in treating wounds colonized by the tested microbial strains.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0       INTRODUCTION

Honey is defined as sweet tasting syrup varying in color from pale yellow to reddish brown that is being produced by bees from nectar or honey dews (Wang et al.,2011). Honey could also be produced from secretions on living plants which the bees collect, transform and store in honey combs (Cooperet al., 2002). Honey is a supersaturated solution of sugars produced by bees of different Apis species notably Apisdorsata, Apiscerana, Apis florae and Apisreniformis. The use of traditional medicine to treat infections has been practiced since the origin of mankind, and Honey produced by Apismellifera (Amellifera) is one of the oldest traditional medicines considered to be important in the treatment of several human ailments. Currently, many researchers have reported the antibacterial activity of honey and found that natural unheated honey has some broad-spectrum antibacterial activity when tested against pathogenic bacteria, oral bacteria, food spoilage bacteria as well as Healing wounds, Honey applied to wounds facilitates healing (Lusby et al., 2005;Mundoet al., 2004). Since ancient times honey has been used in many cultures and traditions as an effective remedy and cure for variety of infections (Morse, 2009).Honey is still used in folk medicine particularly where conventional and modern therapeutic agents fail. In recent time, the use of honey as therapeutic substance has been rediscovered by the medical profession and it is gaining acceptance as an antibacterial treatment of gastroenteritis ulcers, bed sores, and other surface infections and wounds (Allen et al., 2000). In most ancient cultures honey has been used for both nutritional and medical purposes. The belief that honey is a nutrient, a drug and an ointment has been carried into our clays, and thus, an alternative medicine branch, called apitherapy, has been developed in recent years, offering treatments based on hone and other bee products against many diseases including bacterial infections. In addition, honey ishygroscopic, which means that it can draw moisture out of the environment     and dehydrate bacteria, and its high sugar content and low level pH can also prevent the microbes from growth.(Al-Wailiet al.,2011).

Recently, scientific support has emerged with a proliferation in publications on the successful therapeutic use of honey in several general medical and surgical conditions. Honey has been of proven value in treating infected surgical wounds, burns and decubitus ulcers. Cavanagh et al., 2005 successfully applied honey in the postoperative management of patients who had undergone radical vulvectomy for vulval carcinoma. Wound healing was accelerated and less bacterial colonization noted by local application of natural honey in patients who developed postoperative wound breakdown.  Surgical debridement and even amputation were avoided when local application of honey to wounds promoted healing whereas conventional treatment had failed. Honey is extremely viscous and hygroscopic hence it absorbs water from surrounding oedematous tissue, cleans the wound and protects it from further infection.

1.1 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
1.1.1 AIMS

1. The aim of this study is to evaluate the antibacterial efficacies of Honey on various bacteria associated with wounds
2. To determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of honey on the selected bacterial strains
3. To verify the claims that Honey is traditionally used for treating wounds.

 1.1.2 OBJECTIVES

1. To determine the antibacterial activity of collected honey samples by the disc diffusion method using 3 concentrations (400mg/ml, 200mg/ml and 100mg/ml respectively) on Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogens, Proteus mirabilis and Pseudomonas aeroginosa.
2. To determine the minimum inhibitory and minimum bactericidal concentration of honey by the broth dilution technique.
3. To note the most potent concentration of honey used on the selected wound infection microbes.

CHAPTER TWO

2.0       LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1       HONEY

Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees (the genus Apis) is the one most commonly referred to, as it is the type of honey collected by most beekeepers and consumed by humans. Honeys produced by other bees (bumblebees, stingless bees) and insects (honey wasps) have different properties, and they are not discussed in this article.Honey bees transform nectar into honey by a process of regurgitation and evaporation. They store it as a primary food source in wax honeycombs inside the beehive.Honey gets its sweetness from the monosaccharide’s fructose and glucose it contains. It has approximately the same relative sweetness as granulated sugar (National Honey Board (NHB), 2012). Most microorganisms do not grow in honey because of its low water activity,however, honey sometimes contains dormant endospores of the bacterium Clostridiumbotulinum, which can be dangerous to infants, as the endospores can transform into toxin-producing bacteria in infants immature intestinal tracts, leading to illness and even death (Shapiro et al., 1998).Honey has a long history in human consumption, and is used in various foods and beverages as a sweetener and flavoring. It also has a role in religion and symbolism. Flavors of honey vary based on the nectar source, and various types and grades of honey are available. It is also used in various medicinal traditions to treat ailments. The study of pollens and spores in raw honey (melissopalynology) can determine floral sources of honey (Bryant, 2001). Bees carry an electrostatic charge whereby they attract other particles in addition to pollen, which become incorporated into their honey; the honey can be analyzedby the techniques of melissopalynology in area environmental studies of radioactive particles, dust and particulate pollution (Mercuri and Porrini 1991; Tonelliet al., 1990).

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