title: Antibacterial activity of honey against community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA).
abstract: Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) has now been described globally, as a clinically significant pathogen, particularly associated with skin and soft tissue infections, including abscesses, cellulitis and furunculosis. The recent emergence of CA-MRSA combined with its predominant presentation associated with skin and soft tissue infection, the previous literature indicating honey as an effective treatment of healthcare-associated HA-MRSA-related wound infection, as well as honey's ease of topical application, make the current study timely and of interest to healthcare practitioners involved with wound management. Although previous studies have examined the antimicrobial activity of honey against HA-MRSA, such data are limited regarding the activity of honey against this emerging type of MRSA. CA-MRSA (n=6 isolates), was examined for its susceptibility to natural honey (n=3 honey produced from bees in Northern Ireland and one commercial French honey). Results demonstrated that all honey was able to reduce the cultural count of all CA-MRSA from approximately 10(6) colony-forming units (cfus) (mean = 6.46 log10 cfu/g) to none detectable within 24h of co-culture of separate CA-MRSA organisms individually with all four-honey types examined. Subsequent non-selective enrichment of honey demonstrated that inoculated honey remained positive for CA-MRSA until 72h postinoculation, after which point no culturable organisms could be detected. This study demonstrated that, in vitro, these natural products had an antimicrobial activity against the CA-MRSA organisms tested. Further studies are now required to demonstrate if this antimicrobial activity has any clinical application.
authors.affiliation: Northern Ireland Public Health Laboratory, Department of Bacteriology, Belfast City Hospital, Belfast BT9 7AD, Northern Ireland, UK.
authors.forename: Yasunori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Loughrey
authors.forename: J A Philip
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Earle
authors.forename: B Cherie
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Millar
authors.forename: Juluri R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kearns
authors.forename: Ogie
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: McConville
authors.forename: Colin E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Goldsmith
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Rooney
authors.forename: James S G
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Dooley
authors.forename: Colm J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Lowery
authors.forename: William J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Snelling
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McMahon
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McDowell
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Moore
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001516:Bees / Q000737:chemistry; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D005602:France; D006722:Honey; D006801:Humans; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009660:Northern Ireland; D013207:Staphylococcal Skin Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents