BACTERICIDAL AND BACTERIOSTATIC POTENCY OF SOME PHYTO-BACTERICIDES AGAINST SELECTED ESBL PRODUCING BACTERIA

The study to investigate the bactericidal and bacteriostatic potency of some phyto-bactericides against selected ESBL producing bacteria was carried out. Methanolic leaf extracts of Chromoleana odorata, Lasianthera ofricana, Heinsia crinata, Piper guineense, Aspilia africana and Lasianthera afrciana were tested against ESBL producing E. coli and K. pneumonia isolated from clinical specimens (urine, wound swabs, stool, blood, high vaginal swab and sputum obtained from hospitals in five of the six states of the South-South geo-political zones of Nigeria namely; Akwa-Ibom, Cross-River, Delta, Edo and Rivers States) using both the agar disc diffusion and agar well diffusion method. Results obtained from the study revealed that all the plant extracts showed varying degree of antibacterial potency against the ESBL producing E.coli and K. pneumonia. The zones of inhibition increased with a corresponding increase in the concentration of the plant leaf extracts, with higher zones of inhibition observed at 300 mg/ml (13.2?0.25 and 20.4?0.11mm (C. odorata); 17.1?0.09 and 18.3?0.25mm (A. Africana); 19.8?0.73 and 10.8?0.25mm (H. crinata); 19.2?0.39 and 24.3?0.39mm (P. guineense); 15.5?0.42 and 18.5?0.03mm (L. africana) as against the ESBL producing E. coli and K. pneumonia respectively). Although, P. guineense showed the least minimum inhibitory concentration (50mg/ml) against the isolates, however the MIC of the plant extracts recorded were higher than that observed with the conventional antibiotic gentamicin (1.5mg/ml). The study has revealed that the phyto- constituents of C. odorata, A. africana, H. crinata, P. guineense and L. africana, have high antimicrobial property as compared and confirmed with commercial antibiogram. Hence, these plants could serve as an alternative medicine without side effects and in addition they could further be used to discover other bioactive natural products that may serve as lead for the development of new phyto-pharmaceuticals.