Scientists at Aston University have found that manuka honey can use 8 times lower doses of the antibiotic amikacin to treat a potentially fatal lung infection in cystic fibrosis patients. The study was published in the journal Microbiology.
Drug-resistant Mycobacterium abscessus bacteria infect patients with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder in which the lungs’ airways become enlarged, causing excess mucus to build up and make the lungs more vulnerable to infection. Mycobacterium abscessus is often quite resistant to treatment, and the drugs themselves can cause many side effects, including deafness.
In the study, the scientists used bacterial samples from 16 infected patients with cystic fibrosis. They then tested the antibiotic amikacin in combination with manuka honey in a laboratory lung model. Amikacin is usually administered with a nebulizer, a device that produces a fine jet of liquid for inhalation. It turns out that this combination makes it possible to reduce the toxic dose of amikacin by 8 times without losing effectiveness.
Currently, patients are prescribed a cocktail of antibiotics, which must be taken for 8-12 months. This type of treatment usually does not lead to a cure, but does cause serious side effects. Amikacin is an important component of therapy, but it is toxic. Using a lower dose can significantly reduce hearing loss and improve patients’ quality of life.
Until now, Mycobacterium abscessus was nearly impossible to eradicate in people with cystic fibrosis. The infection can also be fatal if the patient needs a lung transplant because then they cannot have surgery.