This is probably one of the most interesting Did You Know posts we have done - so strap in folks, grab yourselves a warm cup of Manuka tea, and enjoy the read.
Did you know that bacteria behaves in a highly organized fashion? They don't just mindlessly attack the body cell by cell. Bacteria has this behavior called quorum sensing which allows them to communicate and coordinate with each other. They use chemical signals known as "autoinducers" to coordinate group actions like releasing toxins, building biofilms, and attacking tissue. Some bacteria are so clever that they only begin their assault when they can sense that there is enough of them to successfully infect.
One of the most special aspects of Manuka honey is how it is capable of attacking bacteria cells with a multifront approach making it almost impossible for most bacteria to build any resistance (we have another Did You Know post that breaks this down if you are curious). One thing people don't talk about is that the other reason Manuka is so successful is because it disrupts bacteria quorum sensing which makes it impossible for the bacteria to behave as a coordinated group. By targeting QS pathways like lasI and rhlI, the honey inhibits the production of toxins and has been shown to decrease biofilm formation by over 95%. So rather than worry about stripping formed biofilms (which it does do), it actually has the potential to prevent them from every being fully formed (when used early on).
In short, rather than just strictly attacking bacteria and its biofilms head on, Manuka honey will also mute the bacteria and disrupt its behavior which neutralizes much of its negative effects and defenses. This is one of many things that makes Manuka honey so special.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22514552/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7329319
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39502934/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6890799
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7694208
