ATEENAGE science prodigy is making a name for herself in the world of medical research after offering further proof that honey helps kill a deadly superbug.
Suzanne Cory High School year 9 student Zaynab Sheriffdeen began researching the effect of honey on antibiotic-resistant bacteria MRSA after watching an episode about the superbug on SBS TV’s Insight.
The program mentioned that initial research had found that honey could help patients get rid of the bacteria.
Zaynab, 14, decided to do further research into the healing properties of honey and enter her findings into Google’s annual science fair.
The competition is for budding scientists around the world who are under 18.
Zaynab was one of 90 regional finalists.
“I read that manuka honey has the highest antibacterial properties so I tried it out,” she says.
“I was surprised to find it worked.”
To prove her theory, Zaynab was given access to an MRSA patient who had been given antibiotics but had not improved.
She applied manuka honey to the patient’s wound and in two days the swelling had gone.
Zaynab later found that combining the honey with antibiotics sped the healing process up.
While she wasn’t among the 15 finalists who will travel to America later this year, Zaynab says she will enter the contest again next year.
