Medicinal honey kills MRSA.
Amsterdam microbiologist Paul Kwakman researched the addition of certain antimicrobial peptides to honey. These sorts of molecules play a role in the immune system of plants and animals, because they can kill bacteria. Kwakman created an imitation of a human peptide and used it alongside a designed peptide. The latter was particularly effective in killing bacteria in the honey faster. 'That speed is important', says Kwakman. 'In a moist wound the honey could become so diluted that it no longer works. So the ointment has to work fast.' The medicinal honey does not work as well as standard antibiotics, but does work against antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as MRSA and ESBL E.coli. 'More and more bacteria are developing resistance against more and more antibiotics', says Kwakman. 'That increasing resistance is a great concern. Honey could in future offer an alternative to antibiotics for treating wounds.' B-factory cannot start using the enriched medicinal honey yet though. More research is needed before new medicines are approved.
