Effectiveness of Garlic (Allium sativum) as Antimicrobial Agent against Bacteria Causing Urinary Tract Infection

Background: Urinary tract infection (UTI), is caused by pathogen bacteria, such as: Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Proteus sp. The emergence of antibiotic resistance, leads to treatment failure in some cases. One strategy to overcome this is using alternative therapies, one of them by using herbal plants, namely garlic (Allium sativum) which has antimicrobial effects. Aim: To determine the effectiveness of garlic extract against bacteria that causes UTI. Methods: The study used experimental in vitro method; Using garlic extract with 50% & 80% (5 & 8 gr garlic extract in 10 mL aquades as a solvent) concentration and amoxicillin as positive control which then dripped on the medium growth of bacteria's culture, then measured diameter of the minimum inhibit zone that formed. Results: The inhibitory zone diameter of 50% garlic extract showed intermediate results in Pseudomonas aeruginosa with a diameter of 13.17 mm, and is not sensitive to other bacteria. Concentration at 80% showed sensitive results in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli with diameter 17.27 mm & 15.5 mm, the result is almost equivalent compared with amoxicillin, with diameter 20.38 mm & 24.23 mm. Conclusion: Garlic extracted with 80% concentration has antimicrobial effect against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli.