Efficacy of combination of topical honey with intralesional injection of Gglucantime in the treatment of acute cutaneous Leishmaniasis

Background and aim: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is an edemic disease widely spread in Iran. Although several treatments have been tried, none has been found as simple and effective. Honey has been used in the treatment of chronic ulcers and its anti-leishmanial effects have also been reported. So we assessed the efficacy of honey in acute CL.Materials and Methods: In a randomized clinical trial, 100 patients with CL referred to Skin and Leishmaniasis Research Center were treated with either weekly intra-lesional injection of Glucantime alone or combined with twice daily topical application of honey. The patients were evaluated clinically 2 ,3 and 4 months after treatment.Results: Ninety patients completed the study, forty-five patients were treated in each group. At the end of trial, 32 patients (71/1%) of these treated with Glucantime alone and 23 patients (51/1%) treated with honey were cured (P=0.04).Conclusion: Drug interference and inhibition of bioavailability of Glucantime by honey may decrease the efficacy of Glucantime in treatment of CL.