Manuka honey has been heralded as a wonderfood that can stave off bacterial infections, yet researchers still don’t fully understand what gives the nectar gathered by the New Zealand bees its pathogen-killing power.

In 2001, researchers from Waikato University’s Honey Research Unit in New Zealand first showed that most strains of honey contain an enzyme that produces hydrogen peroxide, a known antiseptic. But some forms of manuka honey also displayed a more powerful, non-peroxide-based bacteria-fighting ability, which the researchers dubbed ‘unique manuka factor’, or UMF for short. Pinning down the molecular mechanisms of this manuka mystery has proven difficult. But according to work presented this week at the Society for General Microbiology’s Spring Conference, UMF’s uniqueness might all boil down to biofilms.

Reporting at the meeting in Harrogate, UK, a team led by microbiologist Rose Cooper of the University of Wales in Cardiff found that the honey prevented infectious bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from forming the gooey collective masses that make the bacteria more resistant to any antibacterial onslaught. By disrupting the microbes’ defenses, the researchers concluded that honey should provide an attractive — albeit sticky — way of clearing chronically infected wounds.

“Manuka honey can hamper the attachment of bacteria to tissues, which is an essential step in the initiation of acute infections,” Cooper said in a press release. “This indicates that existing antibiotics may be more effective against drug-resistant infections if used in combination with Manuka honey.”

These results follow a study published last month showing that Manuka honey contains around 50 times greater levels of the potent antimicrobial agent methylglyoxal compared to another leading brand of medicinal honey, suggesting that this compound may be a component of UMF and play a role in Manuka’s biofilm-disrupting activity.

With an eye toward transforming the honey from a breakfast staple into a therapy, researchers are now testing various formulations of the sweet medicine to treat gastrointestinal disorders. For example, in a study published in the current issue of the European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, researchers from New Zealand found that solutions containing 5–10% manuka honey were sufficient to kill off most bacteria responsible for colitis, dysentery and stomach flu.

So, as the saying (sort of) goes, perhaps one day doctors will be able to catch more diseases with honey than with traditional pharmaceuticals.

Image by Vicky Brock via Flickr Creative Commons