Comparative Antibacterial Activity of Honey and Gentamicin against Klebsiella Species

Abstract

Klebsiella species are one of the major causes of systematic infections, theses gram negative organisms are also capable of housing various resistant genes to resist the potency of conventional antibiotics. These observations account for the need to assess the antibacterial activity of Gentamicin and natural products against Klebsiella. A total of fifty (50) clinical isolates of Klebsiella species of different pathological sources were collected from four different Teaching Hospitals in Southwest, Nigeria. The identification of all the isolates was done using conventional biochemical tests. Antibiogram was carried out on all 50 Klebsiella clinical isolates using multiple antibiotic discs and the sensitivity of honey was done using the agar diffusion method. In the antimicrobial susceptibility test on honey, two undiluted different samples of honey (Honey A Refined and Honey B Natural) showed high activity and 1:2 to 1:6 aq. dilutions showed less activity against the Klebsiella isolates. Gentamicin used at the concentration of 4.0µg/ml has great activity against the isolates but was basically lower than the antibacterial activity of each undiluted honey. In the occasion of therapeutic disaster with gentamicin or any other associated antibiotics, honey offers an appropriate and improved alternative in dealing with infected burn wounds and other infections like urinary tract infections, nosocomial infections, etc.