Dilute honey ‘may fight urine infections’

Honey and water might be a useful weapon against urine infections in hospital patients, say UK researchers.

Patients often have a catheter fitted, either to drain urine stuck in the bladder or to monitor urine output.

But these flexible tubes can harbour nasty bugs and cause infection, according to BBC.

Scientists at University of Southampton have shown in the lab that diluted honey stops some common bacteria from forming sticky, hard-to-remove layers on surfaces such as plastic.

In theory, a honey solution might be useful for flushing urinary catheters to keep them clean while they remain in the bladder.

Many more trials would be needed to check it would be safe to use in humans, however.

Honey has been used for centuries as a natural antiseptic. People have used it to treat burns and wounds and many companies now sell a range of “medical grade” h

The laboratory work, looked at two common bacteria that can cause urine and bladder infections – E. coli and Proteus mirabilis.

Even at low dilution – about 3.3% – the honey solution appeared to stop the bacteria from clustering together and creating layers of known biofilm.

H.Z