The antimicrobial spectrum of honey and its clinical significance

The antimicrobial spectrum of honey was investigated by placing two drops into each of the wells made on culture media on which pure cultures of various organisms obtained from surgical specimens were grown. The organisms were grown under both aerobic and anaerobic environments. Fungal cultures of common fungi causing surgical infections or wound contaminations were mixed with 100%, 50% and 20% unprocessed honey. Growth inhibition was complete in the media containing 100%, partial in media containing 50% and no inhibition was produced by 20% honey. Unprocessed honey inhibited most of the fungi and bacteria causing wound infection and surgical infection except Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Clostridium oedematiens. Apart from Streptococcus pyogenes which is only moderately inhibited, golden syrup, a sugar syrup with similar physical properties as honey, did not inhibit any of the bacteria or fungi tested, demonstrating that honey is superior to any hypertonic sugar solution in antimicrobial activity. Honey is thus an ideal topical wound dressing agent in surgical infections, burns and wound infections.