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Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control
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Open Access 01-12-2017 | Research

Antibacterial efficacy of local plants and their contribution to public health in rural Ethiopia

Authors: Gutema Taressa Tura, Wondwossen Birke Eshete, Gudina Terefe Tucho

Published in: Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control | Issue 1/2017

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Abstract

Background

Proper hand hygiene with soap and detergents prevents the transmission of many infectious diseases. However, commercial detergents are less likely to be accessible or affordable to poor people in remote rural areas. These people traditionally use some plant parts as a detergent even though their antibacterial activity has not been yet investigated. Therefore, this study aims to determine the antibacterial activities of some of the plants against bacteria isolated from humans.

Methods

Plants selected for this study are Phytolacca dodecandra fruits, Rumex nepalensis leaves, Grewia ferruginea bark and leaves. The samples of these plants were collected from rural areas of Jimma town based on their ethno-botanical survey and information on their local use. Acetone was used as a solvent to extract the bioactive constituents of the plants. The antibacterial activities of the plants were evaluated against reference strains and bacteria isolated from humans using disc diffusion and macro dilution methods.

Results

The plant extracts have shown varying antimicrobial activities against the bacterial species tested. Susceptibility testing shows zones of inhibition ranging from 8.0 ± 1.0 mm to 20.7 ± 5.5 mm. The MIC and MBC of the plants against the bacterial species tested were 3.13 and 12.5 mg/ml respectively. These variations are attributed to different concentrations of the bioactive constituents of the extracts like saponins, tannins, flavonoids and terpenoids.

Conclusion

The studied plants can contribute to achieve better personal hygiene since they are effective against different bacterial agents and are freely available in rural areas.
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Metadata
Title
Antibacterial efficacy of local plants and their contribution to public health in rural Ethiopia
Authors
Gutema Taressa Tura
Wondwossen Birke Eshete
Gudina Terefe Tucho
Publication date
01-12-2017
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control / Issue 1/2017
Electronic ISSN: 2047-2994
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13756-017-0236-6

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