Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 19, 2026
Live/Dead Staining for Quantifying Viable but Not Culturable Cells in Manuka Honey-Treated Wound-Causing Bacteria
Published on: April 25, 2025
Antimicrobial activity of honey from the stingless bee Trigona carbonaria determined by agar diffusion, agar
K L Boorn1, Y-Y Khor, E Sweetman
1School of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia.
Aims:
The aim of this study was to determine the spectrum of antimicrobial activity of 11 samples of stingless bee honey compared to medicinal, table and artificial honeys.
Methods And Results:
Activity was assessed by agar diffusion, agar dilution, broth microdilution and time-kill viability assays. By agar dilution, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranges were 4% to >10% (w/v) for Gram-positive bacteria, 6% to >16% (w/v) for Gram-negative bacteria and 6% to >10% (w/v) for Candida spp. By broth microdilution, all organisms with the exception of Candida albicans and Candida glabrata were inhibited at
Conclusions:
Stingless bee honey has broad-spectrum antibacterial activity although activity against Candida was limited. Stingless bee honey samples varied in activity and the basis for this remains to be determined.
Significance And Impact Of The Study:
Stingless bee honey had similar activity to medicinal honey and may therefore have a role as a medicinal agent.
