Abstract

AGUILERA, Greana et al. Evaluation of the antibacterial activity of Apis mellifera honey against strains of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. INHRR [online]. 2009, vol.40, n.1, pp.21-25. ISSN 0798-0477.

Honey is a sweet and viscous fluid produced by bees from nectar and honeydew. It is an ancient natural medicine mainly used to treat wounds, ulcers and burns. In this study we have assessed the antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus of nine Venezuelan honeys participating in the national honey contest year 2005, compared with a control artificial honey. The honeys were tested at three dilutions (1:2, 1:4, 1:8) and undiluted. Only S. aureus was inhibited by one undiluted honey sample and at the 1:2 dilution. The honeys from the contest, were of low therapeutical value against E. coli and S. aureus, but other bacterias should be tested for further applications.

Keywords : antibacterial activity; Escherichia coli; honey; Staphylococcus aureus; Venezuela.