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Antibacterial and anti-virulence activity of manuka honey against genetically diverse Staphylococcus pseudintermedius strains
,
Thomas Wilkinson ,
Luis Sousa,
Jenna Cooper,
Harry Dance,
Robert J. Atterbury,
Rowena Jenkins
Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Volume: 86, Issue: e01768-20
Swansea University Authors:
Matthew Hitchings , Thomas Wilkinson , Rowena Jenkins
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DOI (Published version): 10.1128/aem.01768-20
Abstract
Staphylococcus pseudintermedius causes opportunistic infections in dogs. It also has significant zoonotic potential, with the emergence of multidrug-resistance leading to difficulty treating both animal and human infections. Manuka honey has previously been reported to inhibit many bacterial pathoge...
| Published in: | Applied and Environmental Microbiology |
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| ISSN: | 0099-2240 1098-5336 |
| Published: |
American Society for Microbiology
2020
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| Online Access: |
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa54999 |
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| Abstract: |
Staphylococcus pseudintermedius causes opportunistic infections in dogs. It also has significant zoonotic potential, with the emergence of multidrug-resistance leading to difficulty treating both animal and human infections. Manuka honey has previously been reported to inhibit many bacterial pathogens including methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and is successfully utilised in both clinical and veterinary practice. Here we evaluated the ability of manuka honey to inhibit strains of S. pseudintermedius growth alone and in combination with antibiotics, and its capacity to modulate virulence within multiple S. pseudintermedius. All 18 of the genetically diverse S. pseudintermedius strains sequenced and tested were inhibited by ≤ 12% (w/v) medical grade manuka honey, although tolerance to five clinically relevant antibiotics was observed. The susceptibility of the isolates to four of these antibiotics was significantly increased (p ≤0.05) when combined with sub lethal concentrations of honey, although sensitivity to oxacillin was decreased. Virulence (DNase, protease and haemolysin) activity was also significantly reduced (p ≤ 0.05) in over half of isolates when cultured with sub lethal concentrations of honey (13, 9 and 10 isolates respectively). These findings highlight the potential for manuka honey to be utilised against S. pseudintermedius infections. Importance: Staphylococcus pseudintermedius is an important member of the skin microbial community in animals and can cause opportunistic infections in both pets and their owners. The high incidence of antimicrobial resistance in S. pseudintermedius highlights that this opportunistic zoonotic pathogen can cause infections which require prolonged and intensive treatment to resolve. Manuka honey has proven efficacy against many bacterial pathogens and is an accepted topical treatment for infections in both veterinary and clinical practice so is a particularly appropriate antimicrobial for use with zoonotic pathogens such as S. pseudintermedius. Here we demonstrate that manuka honey is not only highly potent against novel multi-drug resistant S. pseudintermedius isolates, but also acts synergistically with clinically relevant antibiotics. In addition, manuka honey modulates S. pseudintermedius virulence activity, even at subinhibitory concentrations. In a clinical setting these attributes may assist in controlling infection, allowing a more rapid resolution and reducing antibiotic use. |
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| Keywords: |
manuka honey, antibiotic resistance, synergy, haemolysis, proteolysis, aggregation |
| College: |
Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences |
| Issue: |
e01768-20 |