Antimicrobial activity of Malaysian honeys on selected bacterial in gut flora

Honey has been shown to have wound healing and antimicrobial properties but the potency of its properties depend largely on the source of nectar and geographical location. This study was carried out to determine the antimicrobial activity of four-selected Malaysian honey (gelam, tualang, nenas and acacia) against several species gastroenteritis bacteria. The antibacterial activity of honey was tested against Shigella flexneri, Shigella sonnei, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphlycoccus aureus and was determined using broth dilution method. Honey was diluted in nutrient broth (50%, 25%, 12.5%, 6.3%, 3.1%, 1.6%, 0.8%, 0.4%, 0.2%, 0.1%, 0.04% and 0.02%). Artificial honey and manuka honey were used as control. The minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) was determined by visual inspection and spectrophotometric assay. The plates were read using microplate reader at 620 nm. The minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) assay was performed by re-plating the MIC concentration of each honey on nutrient agar. The results showed that all tested honey including artificial honey had substantial antibacterial activity against Shigella flexneri, Shigella sonnei, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphlycoccus aureus. The MICs for manuka honey ranged between 6.3–12.5% (v/v) while for local honeys the range was between 6.3–25% (v/v). Malaysian honey exhibited comparable antibacterial activity as manuka honey. Therefore, further research to assess the antibacterial activity of Malaysian honey must be conducted to understand its true potential.