Modifications to a vegan artificial honey result in inhibitory activity against Mycobacterium abscessus

The multidrug resistant Mycobacterium abscessus is an opportunistic pathogen of increasing concern, causing infections of skin and soft tissue as well as pulmonary, it can be life-threatening for immunocompromised individuals. Current treatment strategies are ineffective and new approaches to combat infections are imperative. The antimicrobial potential of Manuka honey has been recently demonstrated to be effective against M. abscessus, but the potential to improve its efficacy as well as reduce demand on a natural resource have not yet been explored. The development of medical honey paves the way for generation of a synthetic honey, but this information is largely hidden behind patents and also not explored from a synergist perspective of combined activity of MGO, H2O2 and defensin-1. Through addition of key enzymes or components and antimicrobial susceptibility testing, we have demonstrated that a vegan honea, containing no bee derived component results in antimicrobial activity against M. abscessus, causing not only growth inhibition but bactericidal activity. Both MGO and H2O2 are demonstrated to be relevant to the killing effect against M. abscessus.