Abstract

The antimicrobial effect of natural honey on diarrhea-causing bacteria in southwestern Nigeria was investigated. The following bacteria were evaluated:Escherichia coli, Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella enterocolitis and Shigella dysenteriae. The natural honey samples used were effective in inhibiting the growth of all the test organisms with zones of inhibition ranging from 5.0 to 20.0 mm except for C. jejuni. The inhibitory effect of the honey samples on E. coli was comparable to that of amoxycillin (20.0 mm) and chloramphenicol (17.0 mm). Tetracycline had no inhibitory effect on any of the test organisms. It is therefore being suggested that in the absence of these antibiotics, natural honey can be used to treat bacterial diarrhea caused by these organisms.

Key words: Natural honey, antibacterial effect, diarrhea.