“The paper also shows that MEDIHONEY is effective against antibiotic resistant strains,” says Edward J. Quilty, chairman and CEO of Derma Sciences Inc. “Although this has been demonstrated before, this article does a great job of showing that not only is it effective against these strains, but that the same amount of MEDIHONEY is necessary for the non-resistant strains as is required for the resistant strains. This is unusual, as more antibiotic or antimicrobial is typically necessary for the antibiotic resistant strains.”
The paper also demonstrates that use of MEDIHONEY at sub-lethal levels (levels too low to kill bacteria) does not induce resistance. This is unusual because this is precisely what causes resistant strains to form after sub-lethal antibiotic / antimicrobial concentration exposure. Further, a gene expression analysis was undertaken to see if MEDIHONEY’s effect was different than that of traditional antibiotics. The conclusion was “when compared to the published data on the effects of various antibiotics on the gene expression of E. coli, active Leptospermum honey produced a unique expression signature, suggesting that it works by a different mode of action to the other inhibitors.”
“The data presented here argue for a greater use of medicinal-grade honey in wound care, particularly where antibiotic resistance is an issue,” the paper concludes. “Our study suggests that it is unlikely that resistance to honey will develop, even with increased use. . . The gene expression signature of E. coli cells exposed to active Leptospermum honey indicates that it has a mode of action that is distinct from conventional antibiotics. Further investigations into the mode of action of the non-peroxide antibacterial activity of this honey are warranted, as these may lead to new classes of antimicrobials, which are desperately needed.”