London 9 September : A mixture of manuka honey that is naturally produced with an extensively used drug can treat a fatal lung infection and significantly reduce the adverse negative effects of one of the drugs currently used to treat it according to a study.Manuka honey is believed for its medicinal properties.
It is often used as an ointment made from natural ingredients for injuries of any kind.Recently, researchers have discovered that it has the ability to kill a variety of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics like Mycobacterium abscessus, which typically affects people with cystic fibrosis (CF) or bronchiectasis.
“So far, treatment of Mycobacterium abscessus lung infections has been a challenge due to its drug-resistant nature and severe adverse consequences,” explained Victoria Nolan from Aston University in the UK.
“However the utilization of this treatment that could combine manuka honey and amikacin has shown tremendous promise as a new treatment for these incredibly respiratory diseases,” he added.
The results are released in the journal “Microbiology”, demonstrate that researchers were able combine manuka honey with the drug amikacin in an nebulisation solution developed in a lab to treat the deadly bacterial lung infection Mycobacterium abscessus.
The study was built on samples of the bacteria Mycobacterium abscessus collected from 16 affected Cystic Fibrosis (CF) patients.
They then examined the antibiotic amikacin in combination with manuka honey to determine the dose needed to eliminate the bacteria.
The group of researchers nebulized manuka honey with amikacin and found that they could enhance the clearance of bacteria even at smaller doses of amikacin, which could result in less serious side effects for the patient.
So far Mycobacterium abscessus has been nearly impossible to eliminate in patients with cystic fibrosis.It is also deadly when the patient needs an organ transplant, as they aren’t qualified for surgery when the infection is present.
“By mixing a completely natural ingredient like manuka honey with amikacin, one of the most vital yet harmful drugs used to treat Mycobacterium abscessus, we’ve discovered a method to eliminate the bacteria with eight times less medication than before.” Jonathan Cox from Aston University in the UK.
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