Treatment of an infected venous leg ulcer with honey dressings.

An infectious diseases unit is potentially an ideal environment in which to carry out research into honey-based dressings. This article looks at the barriers to carrying out case study-based research, and describes the treatment of an elderly gentleman with venous leg ulcers. The patient's wounds improved with the honey-based dressing, but it failed to free the wound of microbes. One possible explanation is that the honey, instead of killing the microbes, actually provided them with a food source.