Thirteen lactic acid bacteria found in the stomachs of honeybees could be used as an alternative to antibiotics.
Raw honey has been used as a natural infection fighter for millennia; new research took a modern look at its antimicrobial properties, the University of Lund reported.
To make their findings the researchers identified a group of 13 lactic acid bacteria in fresh honey that comes from honeybees' stomachs. The bacteria were tested on a number of human wound pathogens such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Pseudomonas aeruginosa and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE). The researchers found when the lactic acid bacteria were applied to pathogens in the laboratory it effectively counteracted them.
The effect on human bacteria has only been tested in the lab, but the LAB was applied directly to horses with persistent wounds. The LAB was mixed with raw honey and applied to 10 horses who had undergone several other treatment methods without seeing success. The mixture proved to effectively heal the wounds in all of the horses.
The researchers believed the secret to the honey's intriguing success rate lies in the wide array of active substances found in the mixture.
"Antibiotics are mostly one active substance, effective against only a narrow spectrum of bacteria. When used alive, these 13 lactic acid bacteria produce the right kind of antimicrobial compounds as needed, depending on the threat. It seems to have worked well for millions of years of protecting bees' health and honey against other harmful microorganisms. However, since store-bought honey doesn't contain the living lactic acid bacteria, many of its unique properties have been lost in recent times", researcher Tobias Olofsson said.
In the future the researchers hope to investigate wider clinical use for the substance. The findings could be useful in developing countries where fresh honey is much more widely available than antibiotics. Honey could also help combat the growing global problem of antibiotic resistance.
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