In vitro Antibacterial Evaluation of Fresh Garlic Juice (Allium sativum L.) Cultivated in Sudan

Garlic pulp is a very important spice with many therapeutic properties, well known all over the world. The Sudanese garlic has strong odour compared to other imported varieties and studies on it are scant. The in vitro antibacterial investigation using disc-diffusion method revealed that garlic has effective antibacterial activity against most tested bacteria and it was a competitor to the antibiotic (Chloramphenicol). However, its efficacy was much higher against the gram-positive bacteria. The highest susceptible gram-positive bacteria was Staphylococcus epidermidis (27.5±4.5mm), followed by Staphylococcus saprophyticus (20.5±0.5), Staphylococcus aureus (20.5±0.5mm), Bacillus cereus (18.5±0.5mm) and Streptococcus pneumonia (15.0±1.0mm), respectively. While, the most susceptible gram-negative bacteria was Escherichia coli (14.0±0.0mm) and Shigella flexsneri (14.0±1.0mm), followed by Proteus vulgaris (12.5±0.5mm), and Klebsiella pneumonia (10.0±1.0mm), respectively. Only Pseudomonas aeruginosa did not show any susceptibility toward garlic juice. The use of fresh garlic pulp in the daily dietary habits, particularly in developing countries, unhygienic areas and rural cantons, may lead to minimizing the probability of spread of bacterial diseases in these areas.