Maine High School Student Creating Remarkable Antibiotics for Horses

We are still fascinated by this story we first brought you in the summer of 2022.

Original story follows...

According to News Center Maine, Emma Markowitz of Trevett, an island in Maine, who is also home-schooled has done something remarkable.

She has learned so much from her parents who are researchers and met in a lab. Because of their education and ability, she has been exposed to horses and beehives and learned about honey, the news station reported.

She said,

I’ve always picked up my mom’s microbiology books and studied seawater samples under my microscope at home.

News Center Maine

She has always been enthralled with science.

Since she is following in her parents' footsteps, as the article states, she has now been able to change the way infections in a horses' hooves are treated. This is remarkable.

Emma says,

I was initially looking to help diabetics, specifically diabetic ulcers, with honey, but I did not have access to humans. So I turned to what I did have access to, which was horses. I found that Manuka honey was the best at inhibiting certain bacterial strains

News Center Maine

The article states that within her research, she looked at many different types of honeys that came from different nectars.

This is awe-inspiring that a young person is so enthralled in science and how she can attempt to better assist in the healing of animals.

According to the article, Emma wanted to learn and create an alternative to heal white line disease, which in many cases can lead to deformities in the hooves of horses.
She focused that research on healing white line disease, which can lead to deformities in horses’ hooves.

In order to tell if her creation had worked she put them into two different categories. The horses who took the product and the ones who did not. This process helped Emma determine if her antibiotic strain would work or not, as the article stated.

Because of this, Emma created an antibiotic alternative for horses and a new genius was born!

The article states that her product is more natural and efficient than others alternatives.
Her product led her to win an award product won her a second-place award at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, where Emma competed against peers from all over the world.

I just want everyone to know that even if you’re home-schooled and don’t have the resources available in your community, you can definitely reach out, and there are so many people willing to help,

Emma said.

Science is on the raise in Maine and we have so many promising youth that are participating, learning, and creating innovation that will blow your mind. I am sure we will see Emma in the near future with so many promising cures.