Therapeutic effect of lactic acid bacteria isolated from freshly-harvested honey and its comb against food and wound- borne pathogens

Abstract

Honey has been extensively studied in the treatment of wounds but its efficacy in clinical practice is not fully understood. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been used as bio-preservative in fermented foods. This work was carried out to evaluate the antagonistic effect of LAB present in fresh honey and its comb against some pathogens. LAB were isolated from five replicate samples of freshly harvested honey and its comb and identified as Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus lactis. Lactic acid, Diacetyl and Hydrogen peroxide (g/l) production were determined for 5 days. L. plantarum and L. brevis exhibited the highest and the lowest antimicrobials production, respectively. Agar well diffusion method was used to monitor the antagonistic activities against some pathogens. L. plantarum and L. brevis gave the highest zones of inhibition ranging from15 23mm on P. aeruginosa and S. aureus from food samples. They compete favourably with standard antibiotics set up as controls. Lactic acid bacteria demonstrated a significant antimicrobial activity; this shows its potential as probiotics in food preservation and its therapeutic effect in wound treatment. This also justifies the efforts directed by individuals in using honey to treat diabetic wounds.