Honey Bee as Alternative Medicine to Treat Eleven Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria Causing Urinary Tract Infection during Pregnancy

Abstract

Medicinal benefits of honey bee have been recognized in the medical community since ancient times as a remedy for many diseases and infections. This study aimed to investigate the in vitro susceptibility of 11 multidrug-resistant bacterial strains, isolated from urinary tract infections of pregnant women, to six honey samples collected from different localities in the east of Algeria. The evaluation of the antibacterial activity was performed by the well method followed by the broth dilution method using two-fold dilutions of each honey sample ranging from 2.5 to 80% (w/v). The results obtained in this study revealed that all tested honeys exhibited potent antibacterial activity against the tested strains. The diameters of inhibition ranged from 19.67 to 53.33 mm, with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranging from 2.5 to 40% (w/v) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBCs) varied between 2.5 and 80% (w/v). Gram-positive bacteria were found to be more susceptible than Gram-negative bacteria with diameters ranging from 43.33 to 53.33 mm; MIC and MBC values ranged from 2.5 to 5% (w/v). The P. aeruginosa strain was found to be less susceptible than other strains with inhibitory diameters ranging from 19.67 to 27.33 mm; MICs ranged from 20 to 40% and MBCs ranged from 20 to 80% (w/v). This contribution has provided a broad overview of the antibacterial activity of Algerian honey and shown that honey bee has great potential for therapeutic use as an alternative therapy for urinary tract infection treatment which is safe and efficient during pregnancy.

Propolis Extract: A Possible Antiseptic Oral Care against Multidrug-Resistant Non-Fermenting Bacteria Isolated from Non-Ventilator Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia

“…Honey has low mean pH of 4.4, which is lethal to microorganisms. Even when honey is heavily diluted, the hydrogen peroxide activity of honey can still affect microbes by inhibiting their growth 10 .…”

“…It is a colorless liquid with a pH of 5.0-5.5 14 . The antibacterial effect of BV has been recognized to be effective against Salmonella spp, Escherichia coli, Citrobacter freundii, Enterobacter cloacae, Coagulase-Negative Staphylococcus, and S. aureus 10 .…”

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“…The male urethra is13-20 cm long, whereas females possess a shorter urethra, approximately 3.8 to 5.1 cm long. This shortness of the urethra in women, along with proximity to the anal orifice, anatomically poses a greater risk of infection in women 27,28 . There have been associations established between infections in the tract and sexual intercourse, use of spermicides, increasing age, menopause, and history of UTI 29,30 .…”

Antibacterial efficacy of black seed honey in combination with penicillin and amoxiclav against gram-positive bacteria

“…From the 96-well plate prepared for the MIC determination, a 20 μl of suspension was transferred to the freshly prepared agar plates from the wells that exhibited MIC. 12 The plates were incubated for 24h at 37±1°C and observe for any bacterial growth. The agar plates which resulted with no bacterial growth is considered the concentration for minimum bactericidal effect.…”