1. Discussion/ Conclusion
The Effects of Homeopathic and Pharmaceutical Antibiotics on Microbial Growth
Audrey Orr and Cody Shinkle
Introduction
Graphical Data
Results
Since the 1930’s practitioners and scientists have been working with artificial antibiotics derived from various substances. Today we are facing a crisis; more and more physicians and patients misuse antibiotics. This leads to antibiotic resistant bacteria which are often deadly diseases, and very communicable. However newer research suggests that many natural substances have antibiotic properties. The natural substance that most strongly suggested to have antibiotic properties is natural honey made by bees. In a test unchanged honey out performed nine other artificial antibiotics. (Aal et al, 2007). Honey even had inhibitory effects on forms of MRSA, which is a deadly pathogen that is highly resistant to most antibiotics.(Aal et al, 2007). Currently, there are many pathogens that are evolving to overcome the majority of antibiotics. This could cause outbreaks, possibly even plagues. There is hardly anything to be done to stop the pathogens in today’s technology. Some scientists argue that the answer could lie within the past, and that answer is most likely honey. We plan to test the antibiotic properties within our experiment to support that honey has inherent antibiotic properties in its natural form.
Our hypothesis that honey contains antibiotic properties was held to be true. The average radial inhibition zone for honey was 3.33 millimeters. This is roughly one half of the average radius we found with our penicillin. These calculations are made with a relatively small collection group of only three tests, more tests are needed to fully support our findings.
Discussion/ Conclusion
In our three agar plates it was evident that honey and penicillin had inhibition zones, suggesting antibiotic properties. We held a positive control group and a negative control group along with the honey soaked disks. Penicillin was the positive control, it had the largest antibiotic effect, which was expected. The negative control group was the disk soaked in distilled water, this had no effect on the bacteria growth.
Throughout the study there were several sources of error. Among these were things such as; the lack of notes along the way, the first agar we had inoculated and failed to put the soaked disks in before incubation, as well as the uneven inoculation within the second set of agar plates. Although the first agar was primarily flawed it did allow us to inoculate the second set of plates with an assumed common bacteria, giving us the opportunity to have a more controlled set of plates to test.
If given the chance to redo the tests it would possibly be beneficial to use one type of bacteria to inoculate. Also, having more than three agar plates. One of ours was flawed, and more plates would have allowed us to gather more data. With more data the results would be more accurate as to the extent of honey’s suggested antibiotic properties.
Due to the inhibition zones present on each of the agar plates around the disks of honey it is suggested that honey has antibiotic properties. These properties are less than penicillin but clearly present when in comparison to the lack of inhibition around the distilled water.
Zumla, A., & Lulat, A. Honey- A remedy rediscovered. J R Soc Med, 7,
Aal., Hadidy., Mashad., & Sebaie. Antimicrobial Effect of Bee Honey in Comparison to Antibiotics on Organisms Isolated From Infected Burns. Euro-Mediterranean Council for Burns and Fire Disasters.
Dustmann, J. H. (1979). Antibacterial effect of honey. Apiacta, 14(1), 7-11.
Plate 1: this was our best sample with the most conclusive data and the least amount of error.
Plate 3: this was our most inconclusive plate because not all of the plate grew bacteria, also the inhibition zone was not evident on the penicillin.
Methods and Materials
Materials List:
Natural honey.
Sterile Injectable Penicillin; 300,000 units per milliliter strength.
Sterile 10cm petri dishes.
Sterile syringe and needle
Sterile filter paper.
Agar
Live Bacteria
Incubator
Ruler
Methods:
Make sure to use sterile conditions and utensils.**
We started by soaking sterile filter paper within penicillin for a positive control, filtered water for a negative control, and honey as the variable. After soaking the filter paper in the separate solutions for 36 hours we started making the agar. We made a yeast extract agar with beef bouillon for extra amino acids and proteins. We then poured the agar into the petri dishes to harden. Immediately following the setting of the agar we inoculated it with bacteria we collected through out the school using a inoculating loop. After inoculation we placed the soaked filter paper in three separated places on the petri dish. We then placed the petri dishes within the incubator at 30 degrees Celsius for 72 hours or three days. After three days remove the petri dish and measure the ring that forms around the different samples, this is called the inhibition zone.
Plate 2: this was our middle road plate, there was a even distribution of bacteria, but there was also smudges.
Filter paper soaking in penicillin, honey and filtered water.
Data & Tables
Honey
(Variable)
Penicillin (positive control)
Filtered water (negative control)
Plate 1
3mm
4mm
0mm
Plate 2
11mm
Plate 3
Inconclusive
References
** measurements were taken are of the radius of the inhibition zone of each substance in millimeters