title: No evidence that medicinal honey reduces bacterial skin colonisation at a peripheral catheter insertion site in dogs.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether topical exit-site application of medicinal honey at the catheter insertion place reduces bacterial skin colonisation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Dogs were selected at random and divided into the honey or the control group. When the catheter was removed, an area of approximately 3×3 cm of the skin at the insertion site was sampled with a sterile cotton swab. The catheter stayed in place for a median of 84 hours. Out of 46 patients, 6 patients in the honey group and 5 out of 54 patients in the control group had a positive skin culture at the time of catheter removal (P=0·547). Infection was clinically suspected in 1 of those 11 dogs; catheter-associated complications were observed in 8 additional dogs that did not have a positive skin culture.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Few catheter-associated complications were observed. Extra attention to hygiene by working with a standardised catheter placement and handling protocol might have resulted in this low incidence. In this study topical application of a medicinal honey did not reduce bacterial skin colonisation at the insertion site of peripheral catheters in dogs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Small Animal Medicine and Clinical Biology, Ghent University, St. Pietersnieuwstraat 33, Ghent, 9000, Belgium.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Royaux
authors.affiliation: Department of Small Animal Medicine and Clinical Biology, Ghent University, St. Pietersnieuwstraat 33, Ghent, 9000, Belgium.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Polis
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Ghent University, St. Pietersnieuwstraat 33, Ghent, 9000, Belgium.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Boyen
authors.affiliation: Department of Small Animal Medicine and Clinical Biology, Ghent University, St. Pietersnieuwstraat 33, Ghent, 9000, Belgium.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Van Ham
authors.affiliation: Department of Small Animal Medicine and Clinical Biology, Ghent University, St. Pietersnieuwstraat 33, Ghent, 9000, Belgium.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: de Rooster
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development*; D057785:Catheters / Q000382:microbiology*; D004285:Dogs; D006722:Honey; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012867:Skin / Q000382:microbiology*