“Antibiotics are mostly one active substance, effective against only a narrow spectrum of bacteria. When used alive, these 13 lactic acid bacteria produce the right kind of antimicrobial compounds as needed, depending on the threat. It seems to have worked well for millions of years of protecting bees' health and honey against other harmful microorganisms,” said Tobias Olofsson, professor of Medical Microbiology at Lund University, and author of two studies that have been published in International Wound Journal this week.
The Lund scientists isolated 42 different pathogens in the open wounds of 22 patients – Pseudomonas aeruginosa and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) as well as MRSA – and treated them with the 13 lactic acid bacteria from honey. The results were “comparable” with antibiotics.
They may be even more effective against the growing number of drug-resistant strands of common infections, which the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say killed more than 23,000 people last year.
The one most likely to be targeted with honey bacteria, MRSA – which is carried by millions of healthy people with no symptoms – kills more than 11,000 people each year, with another 70,000 suffering serious illness.
Read more: http://rt.com/news/186824-honey-mrsa-bacteria-antibiotics/
