Comparative Antibacterial and Antifungal Activities of Manuka, Obudu and Ngaundere Honey Against Common Wound Pathogens

Background: The rise of antimicrobial resistance has necessitated the search for alternative agents for wound management. Honey has demonstrated broad-spectrum antimicrobial and wound healing properties. Manuka honey is the clinical gold standard, but African honeys remain largely unevaluated.

Aim: This study evaluated the antibacterial and antifungal activities of honey from Obudu, Nigeria, Ngaoundere, Cameroon, and compared them with Manuka honey against clinical isolates of common wound-infecting microbes in vitro.

Methods:The Bauer et al.  Agar well diffusion and Broth dilution methods determined the zone of inhibition (ZOI), minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum bactericidal concentration/ minimum fungicidal concentration (MBC/MFC).  Thirteen wound-infecting bacterial and fungal isolates were used, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), Staphylococcus aureus, Corynebacterium ulcerans, Streptococcus pyogenes, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, Candida krusei, Candida stellatoides, and Candida tropicalis.

 Results: Isolates were susceptible to all honey treatments at ≤ 48 mg/ml, though ZOI, MIC, and MBC/MFC values differed,and some differences were statistically significant. Obudu honey produced the highest ZOI across all organisms. Ngaundere honey had the lowest MIC for Staphylococcus aureus, Corynebacterium ulcerans, Proteus vulgaris Pseudomonas and Candida albicans, while Obudu honey had the lowest MIC for MRSA, S. aureus, P. mirabilis, P. vulgaris and C. krusei. Manuka honey had the lowest MIC for nine organisms, including all Candida species.  The MBC/MFC for all honeys was ≤ 48 mg/mL, ranging from 3 mg/mL (MRSA, C. krusie, C. stellatoidea, and C. tropicalis) to 48 mg/mL (VRE, S. pyogenes, E. coli, and P. aeruginosa) for Obudu honey, while Manuka honey’s MBC/MFC ranged from 4 and 24 mg/mL. Manuka honey was more effective against the fungal agents evaluated.

Conclusion: Obudu and Ngaoundere honey showed antimicrobial activity comparable to Manuka honey and is suitable for treating wound-infecting microbes and for manufacture honey-embedded wound dressings.

Keywords: Comparative antibacterial activity, Manuka honey, Obudu honey, Ngaoundere honey, wound-infecting microorganisms.