Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Im writing a research paper on the antibacterial properties of honey against the bacteria E coli. I have to do my own experiment in unison with using articles from pubmed.gov to support my research and draw a conclusion. The whole thing is supposed to be 4000 words ( its called an extended essay).

So i was thinking of using different honeys to see if they vary in their effectiveness against the bacterium. In total i was thinking 5 different honeys would suffice. As for the application of the honey, i was thinking I would apply the different honeys both before the bacteria has had a chance to grow and after its grown for a while (for a yet undecided time frame, any input would be nice!)

My question is what material would i need to conduct this? Anything i should be weary of?

How would i apply the honey to the bacterium?

anything i should know about e coli?

All comments are appreciated!

Hi Hutchdan,

That’s an interesting project and I would like to know how well different kinds of honey can kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria. I found a paper online entitled “How honey kills bacteria” that you might want to read if you haven’t seen it already. It is attached.

Scibuddies has a lot of information about using bacteria in science projects that you should take a look at. If you can do the work in a lab equipped for microbiology experiments, that would be the easiest way to accomplish this. Here’s the information:

1. Source of E. coli from Carolina Biol: http://www.carolina.com/bacteriophage-h ... ia+culture
This is the K12 strain which is nonpathogenic for humans: http://epa.gov/biotech_rule/pubs/fra/fra004.htm

2. Scibuddies microorganism safety guide: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... fety.shtml

3. Microbiology techniques and safety guide: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... ques.shtml

4. Measuring antibiotic sensitivity with zones of killing: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... p014.shtml

This information should help you to decide how you want to do the experiments. Your idea of testing honeys from several different sources is a good one because honey can take on some of the properties of the plants that the bees obtain nectar from. You will want to test some different strength solutions of the honey—say 5% for a low concentration up to 60% for the high. You can dilute the honey in sterile distilled water. You should also include just water as a negative control and something like 10% Clorox or an antiseptic mouthwash as a positive antibiotic control.

I also like your idea of treating the bacteria separately in two ways: one before growth and one after growth. I’m not sure what would be the best method for doing that, but that’s a detail you can work out in the lab. Also, the length of time of treatment and growth are independent variables that you will have to decide on.

This information should get you going on the planning stages, however, and you can repost later with more questions.

Best wishes,

SciB

That information was invaluable thank you!