Manuka honey could fight off deadly infections in hospital equipment

Researchers at Southampton University (UK) found that cleansing medical equipment with solutions derived from the Australia and New Zealand-based honey reduced the potentially deadly bacteria on surfaces by more than seventy five per cent.

Manuka honey, which has long been used as a remedy against infections, stopped bugs building up on catheters in tests.

The discovery could transform safety for groups at particular risk of bacterial infections, such as the inpatients who use a catheter, thousands of whom suffer from urinary tract bacterial infections. Around 100 million high-risk urinary catheters are used around the world.

The results showed that manuka honey strongly inhibited the “stickiness” of the bacteria, and therefore the development of a biofilm that could cling to medical equipment.

Dr Bashir Lwaleed, associate professor of health sciences at the University of Southampton, said: “We believe that patients might also benefit from honey’s anti-inflammatory properties, which are generally stronger in dark honeys, such as manuka, and that bacterial resistance is unlikely to be a factor when honey is used.”