- Around 100 million high-risk urinary catheters are used around the world
- The honey, which comes from Australia and New Zealand, stops ‘biofilms’
- It is particularly effective against a dangerous form of E. Coli bacteria
Colin Fernandez Science Correspondent For The Daily Mail
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Medical tubes and devices can be kept free from superbugs by smearing them with a type of honey, a study has found.
Manuka honey, which has long been used as a remedy against infections, stopped bugs building up on catheters in tests.
Around 100 million urinary catheters are used around the world, but they carry a high infection risk.
The honey, which comes from Australia and New Zealand, stops ‘biofilms’ – a goo consisting of a mixture of different types of bacteria – building up on the device.
Manuka honey, which has long been used as a remedy against infections, stopped bugs building up on catheters in tests
The research found that it was particularly effective against a dangerous form of E. Coli bacteria.
The Southampton University findings, published online in the Journal Of Clinical Pathology, could lead to the honey being used on medical devices connected to patients, such as urinary catheters, which carry a high infection risk.
Up to one in four hospital in-patients may have to use a catheter.
However, long-term use is associated with frequent complications, such as inflammation and infection.
Associate Professor Bashir Lwaleed [CORR] said: ‘We have been able to demonstrate that diluted honey is potentially a useful agent for reducing biofilm formation on indwelling plastic devices such as urinary catheters.
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‘Catheter infection rates can account for a large proportion of hospital acquired infections – it is an area of clinical practice that needs addressing.
‘We hope that these results may offer an alternative way of preventing such infections. 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 antibacterial resistance is unlikely to be a factor when honey is used.’
Honey has been used as a health remedy for centuries and recent research has also suggested that it may have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.
The honey, produced in Australia and New Zealand, is also used in household products such as hand soaps
Manuka honey is a monofloral honey produced in Australia and New Zealand from the nectar of the manuka tree, and has long been used there to treat wounds and infections.
The researchers said that further studies in which clinical conditions more closely resembled the flow of liquid in the bladder would be needed before any firm conclusions could be drawn.
Previous studies have found manuka honey is active against ‘superbugs’ resistant to antibiotics.
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