Microbiologists Find Manuka Honey Can Treat and Prevent Infections

One of the difficulties in treating some open wound infections in people is the tendency of many bacteria, such as Streptococcus pyogenes, to create what are known as biofilms. These film coverings are, according to researchers from Cardiff Metropolitan University, what keeps antibacterial agents from doing their work. The same researchers have been studying Manuka Honey because of its use in ancient cultures, and according to their paper published in the science journal Microbiolgy, have found that it appears to work better than most modern medicines in eradicating stubborn skin infections.

Manuka honey is made by bees in New Zealand and Australia that forage in manuka trees in the forests that grow there, and their medicinal properties have until now been mostly folk lore. After hearing of such tales, the Cardiff team decided to look into reports that simple honey could do what modern medicine has been unable to achieve after hundreds of years of research.

Because the honey has been used as an ingredient in other medical applications, the team was able to test its effectiveness by applying it to actual patients, rather than resort to testing on animals. They say that the honey appeared to outperform traditional remedies and that after just two hours, up to 85% of all bacteria present in a wound had been destroyed.

After looking a little closer the team found that some as yet unknown ingredient in the honey caused the biofilm that the bacteria to build up to dissolve, thus allowing the body to heal itself naturally. This means the honey doesn't actually kill the bacteria, it just destroys the biofilm. The immune system takes care of the rest. As a follow-up, they also looked at what would happen if wounds were treated with honey before having a chance to become infected, and found that infection rates were greatly reduced.

The team plans to next tear apart the materials that make up manuka honey in their laboratory to see if they can determine which component is responsible for foiling the biofilms. If successful, they hope the material can be created via a man-made process and eventually manufactured in a plant to help patients suffering from wounds that won't heal all over the world.

In the meantime, though they don't suggest it, people suffering from wounds that won't heal are free to buy manuka honey if they can find it and apply it themselves.