Antibacterial activities of Vitelleria paradoxa on some enteric bacteria

Abstract

This research was carried out to evaluate the antibacterial activity of vitellaria paradoxa crude extract on two Enteric Organisms namely; Salmonella typhi and Shigella flexaeri. The clinical isolate of Salmonella typhi and Shigella flexaeri were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility test using the agar diffusion technique. Methanolic and aqueous crude extract produced clear zones of inhibition at concentration ranging from 50 to 200mg/ml. The Minimum inhibitory concentration was 60 and 120mg/ml and the minimum bacteriocidal concentration were 80 and 140mg/ml. Two thousand milligram per kilogram body weight of the crude extracts were administered to the mice orally, only one died. In vivo antimicrobial assay revealed that mice treated with crude methanolic and aqueous extracts after being infected with the test organism survived and showed no pathological effect. Similarly, untreated mice (control) died after 48 hours of inoculation with Salmonella typhi and Shigella flexaeri respectively. Phytochemistry of the Vitellaria Paradoxa crude extracts revealed the presence of flavonoids, alkaloids carbohydrates, saponin, and cardiac glycosides, Vitellaria Paradoxa crude extract could be a potential source for the treatment of disease associated with Salmonella typhi and Shigella flexaeri. Further studies should be directed towards isolation and characterization of the active compounds in the crude extracts.