Antimicrobial activity of a novel bioengineered honey against non-typeable biofilms: an in vitro study.

The opportunistic pathogen non-typeable (NTHi) plays an important role in many chronic respiratory diseases including otitis media, chronic rhinosinusitis, cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Biofilm formation has been implicated in NTHi colonisation, persistence of infection and recalcitrance towards antimicrobials. There is therefore a pressing need for the development of novel treatment strategies that are effective against NTHi biofilm-associated diseases. SurgihoneyRO is a honey-based product that has been bioengineered to enable the slow release of HO, a reactive oxygen species to which is susceptible. Treatment of established NTHi biofilms with SurgihoneyRO significantly reduced biofilm viability through enhanced HO production and was shown to be more effective than the conventional antibiotic co-amoxiclav.