Susceptibility of Selected Multi-Drug Resistant Clinical Isolates to Leaves of Carpolobia lutea

Abstract

Background: The decline in the production of new effectiveantibiotics coupled with the constantly evolving antimicrobialresistance remains a public health concern.This study thusevaluated the antibacterial and antifungal effects of the ethanolic,n-hexane and hot aqueous extracts of Carpolobialutea leaves.Methods: The extracts were tested using agar well diffusionmethod against selected clinical isolates: Pseudomonasaeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcusaureus and Candida albicans. Antibiogram profile of the isolateswere deduced by disc diffusion method.Results: Multi-drug resistance was confirmed in all bacteria with anotable pandrug resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.Ofloxacin, Erythromycin and Gentamicin were effective on two orthree organisms, notably on Salmonella typhi and Escherichiacoli. The preliminary antibacterial assay marked the efficacy ofthe ethanol and n-hexane extracts except on E. coli, with zeroactivity for hot water extracts at the stock concentration (200mg/ml). Pseudomonas aeruginosaand Candida albicans weresusceptible to lesser concentrations of the ethanol extracts at 5mg/ml and 25 mg/ml respectively. None of the isolates showedsensitivity to lesser concentrations of n-hexane extract. Carpolobialutea leaves proved to be effective over the use of antibiotics ininhibiting the activity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa which wasresistant to the latter. The Minimum Inhibitory concentration ofthe ethanolic extract was considerably low (≤5mg/ml for P.aeruginosa and 25mg/ml for C. albicans). However, there was noMinimum Bactericidal concentration for the extracts against theclinical isolates.Conclusion: Carpolobia lutea shelters bioactive components withpharmacological potentials that could show efficiency in thetreatment of bacterial infections.