The incidences of catheter-associated bacteremia in honey-treated ( n = 51) and mupirocin-treated ( n = 50) patients were comparable (0. In a recent review for Neonatal Network, Susan Bell reviewed the current literature dealing with the medical use of medical honey in neonatal wound care. Medihoney Anti-Bacterial Gel Sheet Dressing provides a moist healing environment, quickly eliminates unpleasant odours, reduces the risk of bacterial infection and efficiently removes necrosis and slough. A) Adherent monolayers of microorganisms were formed on driveline smooth tube cut-outs pre-conditioned with MAWG.

Surely, we do not criticize the emergency care use of raw honey directly derived from local bee keepers in countries with extremely limited medical resources ( 54) in which physicians or other health care workers do not have access to conventional wound care products ( 13, 55–57). However, the antiseptic activity of iodine products is hampered by interactions with the protein content of the wound exudate and severe adverse effects of systemic absorption of iodine on thyroid function must be considered in infants and toddlers as well as in adult patients with latent hyperthyreosis. Due to its high sugar content, honey also prevents pain on dressing changes as it keeps the wound surface moist by mobilizing the oedema from the surrounding tissues. The discrepancy between the in vitro efficacy of Manuka-type honey and in vivo efficacy of MAWG against biofilms may be partially due to the use of over-simplified microplate-based biofilm assays by many other in vitro studies ( Cooper et al.The role of individual components of honey in combating planktonic microorganisms has been extensively studied and seemed to be microorganism-specific ( Kwakman and Zaat, 2012).

Manuka-type honeys can eradicate biofilms produced by Staphylococcus aureus strains with different biofilm-forming abilities. The colony biofilm assay and the drip-flow biofilm reactor assay suggested that MAWG was unable to kill biofilms pre-established in a driveline exit-site environment, or effectively prevent planktonic cells from forming adherent monolayers and further developing mature biofilms. Malodour from recalcitrant wounds as a result of critical colonization and partial tissue necrosis is successfully abandoned with medical honey due to its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and debriding effects.Last but not least, medical honey successfully manages the problem of malodour from chronic colonized wounds, which results in severe discomfort and social isolation in these patients. The enzyme glucose oxidase, produces gluconic acid and minute amounts of hydrogen peroxide when in contact with the wound surface. In our unit and our wound care ambulance, parents or relatives are educated in the aseptic procedure of the dressing change and thus, they are enabled to perform it at home. A growth medium at pH = 4, but not the other pH values, showed some effects against biofilms pre-formed by S.

To assess the contribution of the individual antimicrobial mechanisms of MAWG to its overall anti-biofilm properties, BMIC 50 and MBECs of MGO and a mixed sugar solution with high-osmolarity were determined, respectively ( Table 2). Conclusion: Our work suggests a suboptimal effectiveness of MAWG in preventing driveline infections due to biofilm development. One way in which honey may work is through its stimulation of an inflammatory response in leukocytes ( 28, 29, 33), as inflammation is what triggers the cascade of cellular events that give rise to the production of growth factors which control angiogenesis and proliferation of fibroblasts and epithelial cells. A total of 55%patients treated with topical honey showed no change or a positive gain in body weight compared with only 25% in the control arm ( P = 0.The colony biofilm assay showed that MAWG-infused filter membranes that mimic topical dressings with MAWG impregnated were unable to inhibit or kill pre-established adherent monolayers or biofilms, questioning the value of MAWG in treating driveline exit-site wounds. We were asked by one of the editors of eCAM to put our clinical experience ( 2, 16) into a broader perspective and to comment on the use of medical honey in wound care (Table 1). Medical honey is hygroscopic, meaning it draws moisture out of the environment and thus dehydrates bacteria.

Growing body of clinical experiences and observational studies derived from independent wound care facilities all over the world. The colony biofilm assay replicates some of the environmental conditions required for biofilm growth on a “relatively dry” wound bed of the driveline exit-site, by allowing microorganisms to grow on a filter membrane supplied with nutrients and oxygen but little shear stress ( Hammond et al. After treating established biofilms with MAWG solution, mixed sugar solution, and MGO at different concentrations, the suspensions were removed, and the microwells were washed twice with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). In short, overnight microbial cultures were harvested by centrifuge, washed twice with PBS, and resuspended in MHB (for S. Some of the parents in our unit have at first been sceptical about the benefits of honey in wound care.Bacterial colonization or infection and recalcitrant wound healing situations are often accompanied by pH values >7. The effect of dilution on the rate of hydrogen peroxide production in honey and its implications for wound healing. Antibacterial honey for the prevention of peritoneal-dialysis-related infections (HONEYPOT): a randomized trial. Similarly, this can be concluded also for the observations in wounds in animal models of honey stimulating the rate of angiogenesis, granulation and epithelialization ( 31, 32), which would explain the findings in clinical trials that honey speeds up the healing process ( 15).