Synergistic Antimicrobial Effect of Egyptian Honey with Antibiotics and Its Capability to Restore MRSA Sensitive to Oxacillin

Since some types of honey interact synergistically at sub-lethal (sub MIC) concentrations with antibiotics, the work tested this activity of six Egyptian honey brands; three of potent (fennel, 2 of anise & black seed) as well as three of fair antimicrobial activity (multi-floral) against two G-ve and two G+ve multi drug resistant bacterial strains [E. coli AUMC B-243, Klebsiella pneumonia AUMC B-257 and Strept. agalactiae AUMC B-253 and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)] using agar dilution method. The four bacterial strains had high resistance index (RI) ranging (0.18 – 0.73). All tested honey brands had different potencies of antimicrobial activity against all bacterial strains with MICs values (6-15 %), where the best overall MIC was with the use of anise & black seed II (8.5 %) followed by fennel (9.5 %). Either of potent or fair antimicrobial honey brands showed synergistic action with different antimicrobial agents against MRSA with synergistic index (SI) ranged from 0.17 up to 0.39, where the best overall SI of each honey brand against the tested antimicrobial agents was with the use of anise & black seed I (0.39) followed by fennel (0.37). None of the tested honey types showed bactericidal action and all had bacteriostatic activity but the interesting wonderful observation as that all tested Egyptian honey brands (either with of potent or fair activity) restored MRSA (methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus) sensitive to Oxacillin being MESSA (methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus). The study concluded that all six tested honey either of potent or fair antimicrobial activity honey brands had variable synergistic activity with antibiotics against MRSA and restored it sensitive to Oxacillin. Keywords: Egyptian honey, antimicrobial, MRSA, synergism