Abdallah Abu-Ghazaleh
Narmer American College, New Cairo City, Cairo, EGYPT
Since their discovery in the 20th century, antibiotics have substantially reduced the threat posed by many infectious diseases, saving lives and easing the suffering of millions of people. Today this is jeopardized by the emergence of microorganism that are resistant to their first-choice antibiotic. Some bacteria even gained resistance to multiple antimicrobial agents. Trying to look for the remedy that is more effective and have minimum side-effects, this research experiments honey (of Nigella sativa ,blackseed, flower), and honey diluted in 9 different concentrations with water, and three antibiotics (vancomycin, memethicilin, and penicillin). The experiment was conducted on three Gram-positive bacteria strains of Staphylococcus aureus and three Gram-negative strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In hypothesis, honey alone and honey diluted with water in less than equal proportions would inhibit the growth of bacteria.
The bacteria were inoculated and then seeded in Petri-dishes along with honey solutions (in wells) and antibiotics. The bacterial cultures were then examined for halos, representing the inhibition zone. The diameters of the halos were measured and compared. The antibiotics` actions varied in effectively stopping the growth of the bacteria while honey by itself showed promising results when it stopped the growth of the bacteria tested. Honey diluted with water had varying result for the six strains. The hypothesis was proven incorrect since honey diluted with water in less than equal amounts proved effective in stopping bacterial growth.
As honey proves itself as a possible antibiotic for resistant-bacteria, speculations arise of these bacteria gaining resistance to honey.