Evaluation of the Antibacterial Activity of Libyan Sidr Honey and Thyme Honey Against Some Pathogenic Bacterial Species Isolated from Patients at Benghazi Medical Center
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54172/9k615074Keywords:
Libyan honey, Sidr honey, Thyme honey, Antibacterial activity, Physicochemical properties.Abstract
This study evaluated the antibacterial activity of two types of Libyan honey, Sidr and thyme produced in the Benghazi region, and investigated their physicochemical properties and relationship to antibacterial efficacy in light of increasing microbial resistance to conventional antibiotics. Four clinically isolated pathogenic bacterial strains were obtained from patients at Benghazi Medical Center: Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The results demonstrated a statistically significant positive correlation (p ≤ 0.05) between honey concentration and inhibition zone diameter for all tested bacteria. No inhibitory effect was observed at 25% concentration for most of the tested species, whereas the highest antibacterial activity occurred at 100%. Sidr honey exhibited the largest inhibition zone against S. aureus (28.0 ± 0.41 mm) compared to thyme honey (22.75 ± 0.50 mm). Similarly, Sidr honey showed greater activity against E. coli (26.0 ± 0.82 mm) than thyme honey (21.0 ± 0.82 mm). Gram-negative bacteria showed lower susceptibility overall, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 12.5% for Sidr honey in most cases, while minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values reached 50% for both honey types. Physicochemical analysis revealed the superiority of Sidr honey, characterized by lower pH (3.7 ± 0.2), lower moisture content (6.7%), and higher total sugar content (81.45%) compared to thyme honey. The study concludes that Libyan honey, particularly Sidr honey, demonstrates promising potential as a natural antibacterial agent.
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