A pilot study investigating lactic acid bacterial symbionts from the honeybee in inhibiting human chronic wound pathogens

Abstract

Treatment and management of chronic wounds is a large burden on the health sector and causes substantial suffering for the patients. We believe that 13 lactic acid bacteria (LAB) symbionts isolated from the honey crop of the honeybee are important players in the antimicrobial action of honey, by producing antimicrobial substances and can be used in combination with heather honey as an effective treatment in wound management. A total of 22 patients with chronic ulcers were included; culture-dependent and molecular-based (MALDI-MS and 16S rRNA gene sequencing) techniques were used to identify bacteria from chronic wounds. These clinical isolates were used for in vitro antimicrobial testing with standardised viable LAB and sterilised heather honey mixture. Twenty of the patients' wounds were polymicrobial and 42 different species were isolated. Patient isolates that were tested in vitro were inhibited by the LAB and honey combination with inhibitory zones comparable with different antibiotics. LAB and heather honey in combination presents a new topical option in chronic wound management because of the healing properties of honey, antimicrobial metabolite production from the LAB and their bactericidal effect on common chronic wound pathogens. This new treatment may be a stepping stone towards an alternative solution to antibiotics.

Improvement of identification methods for honeybee specific Lactic Acid Bacteria; future approaches

“…Our data also confirm that the addition of L-cysteine and fructose is crucial for the optimal growth of hbs-LAB under laboratory conditions [16,17,21]. Their need for such substances is not surprising since their natural habitats, honey crops, honey [6,8] and bee bread, contain foraged nectar and pollen [18] rich in amino acids and sugars.…”

“…Since the hbs-LAB colonize the honey crop where carbohydrates are abundant, it is not surprising that they require supplements such as fructose and L-cysteine rather than glucose to grow under laboratory conditions. The growth media initially used to culture the hbs-LAB [6] was later replaced by MRS supplemented with fructose and L-cysteine (sMRS), to better mimic the hbs-LABs natural environment and growth conditions [7,8,13,16,17,21–23]. However, these vital supplements (fructose and L-cysteine) have not been used in bacterial cultivation by other researchers [24–26], possibly explaining the inability to isolate more than a few hbs-LAB.…”

Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938—A comparative study on the effect of probiotics and lysates on human skin

“…The antimicrobial activity of live L. reuteri DSM 17938 was measured by using the qualitative dual culture overlay assay as previously described with few modifications. L. reuteri oil drops and freeze‐dried L. reuteri rehydrated in PBS (centrifuged, washed) was diluted to different concentrations, added to filter disc placed on MRS agar plates and allowed to dry for 30 minutes.…”

Effects of a honeybee lactic acid bacterial microbiome on human nasal symptoms, commensals, and biomarkers

“…It was detected and identified from the honey stomach of the honeybee Apis mellifera and shown to be constant in honeybees regardless of geographic location and a key in all honey production worldwide . Recent results show a strong antibacterial activity of the honeybee LAB against a variety of important human pathogens including Streptococcus pyogenes , Staphylococcus aureus , and Pseudomonas aeruginosa , including strains resistant to antibiotics . These qualities seem to be caused by production of antimicrobial substances such as extracellular proteins and primary and secondary metabolites …”