Determination of antibacterial activity of honey on wound isolates from patients attending university of Benin Teaching Hospital, Edo State

Abstract

Background: Honey is one of the most appreciated and valued natural products introduced since ancient times, as it is used not only as a nutritional product but also in traditional medicine.
Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the antibacterial activity of honey on wound isolates from patients attending University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Edo State.
Materials and Methods: Samples from wound were collected from 300 patients comprising of males (123) and females (177) within the age range of (21 - 50) years old. The samples were processed by culture methods and the isolates obtained were subjected to Gram staining and biochemical tests for identification. Antibacterial activity of honey was determined using standard agar well diffusion technique. A structured questionnaire was administered for data on the socio-demographic characteristics of the patients.
Results: An overall prevalence of bacterial infection 93(31.0%) was recorded. Five bacteria were isolated, namely; Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella spp and Steptococcus pyogenes; where Staphylococcus aureus was the most common organism isolated (25.81%). The higher bacterial growth (16.0%) was recorded in High vaginal swab (HVS) samples with statistical significant difference (P=0.0063). Females had the highest prevalence of (64.52%). Age group (41-45) had the highest prevalence of (61.29%) with a significant difference (p=0.0002). Furthermore, educational and economic status have no statistical association (p>0.05) with the infection. The Gram negative bacteria examined showed S. aureus and E. coli having the highest prevalence of (27.27%) each in males while P. aeruginosa had the highest prevalence rate (30.0%) in female. There was decrease in zone of inhibition of honey in a dose dependent manner in all isolates observed when compared to standard antibiotics.
Conclusion: The antibacterial activities of honey against the microorganisms suggest it’s used as an alternative therapeutic agent in certain medical conditions, particularly wound infection.