In Vitro Antimycobacterial Activity of Pakistani Beri Honey Using BACTEC MGIT 960

Background. Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic bacterial disease. Mycobacterium tuberculosis, being the leading member of the MTB complex, is the main cause of tuberculosis worldwide. Tuberculosis is managed with combination of drugs: streptomycin, isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide. Over the recent past years resistance against first line antituberculous drugs has emerged rapidly throughout the world resulting in MDR strains. The new threat in the management of MDR-TB is the development of resistance against second line drugs: aminoglycosides, polypeptides, fluoroquinolones, and thioamides. Multidrug resistant (MDR) and extensively drug resistant TB (XDR) strains have become a major concern to control TB particularly in the developing countries. The need of the hour is to look for new modalities having antimycobacterial activity. Honey has been well known for its antibacterial activity. We intended to explore its antimycobacterial activity against MDR-TB. Objective. The objective of this study was to determine whether Pakistani Beri honey has any antimycobacterial activity. Method. The study was conducted in the Department of Microbiology, University of Health Sciences, Lahore. Clinical isolates (n = 21) of MDR-MTB were evaluated for their susceptibility to Beri honey. The isolates were provided, courtesy of Pakistan Medical Research Council. These isolates were identified by MTBc ID test (Becton & Dickinson) and further tested for their antimycobacterial activity using Beri honey. The honey was tested at the following concentrations (v/v): 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, and 5% in MGIT 960. Growth controls were also inoculated with each isolate (growth control has no concentration of honey, only containing growth of isolate). Results. MDR-TB isolates (n = 21) were tested; 3 (14%) isolates were susceptible at 1% v/v honey, while at 2% v/v of honey 18 (86%) isolates were found to be susceptible. All the 21 isolates (n = 21) were susceptible at 3% v/v of honey. Conclusion. The present study clearly demonstrates that Pakistani Beri honey possesses significant antimycobacterial activity in vitro. The antimycobacterial activity of Pakistani Beri honey may, therefore, be exploited in an appropriate mouse model.