Abstract

ANTI-BACTERIAL EFFECTS OF AFRAMOMUM MELEGUETA SEED EXTRACTS ON SOME ENTEROBACTERIACEAE ORGANISMS

Ukaegbu-Obi, K.M., Odo, C.E.* and Awa, C.

Abstract

The anti-bacterial effects of the methanol, ethanol and aqueous extracts of A. melegueta seeds were investigated on some enterobacteriaceae organisms (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella tyhi and Shigella spp). The organisms tested showed varying degrees of sensitivity to the various extracts with the aqueous extract having the least activity when compared to the ethanol and methanol extracts which had closely inhibitory effects. The ethanol extract had higher zones of inhibition on the organisms than the methanol extract in the decreasing order: E. coli (21.5 mm), Shigella spp (17.0 mm), S. tyhi (11.5 mm) and K. pneumoniae (9.0 mm). The zones of inhibition exerted on the organisms by the methanol extract were in the decreasing order: S. tyhi (15.0 mm), E. coli (13.5 mm), Shigella spp (12.0 mm) and K. pneumoniae (0.0 mm). This study shows that the seeds of A. melegueta possess active ingredients that may be exploited for the development of anti-microbials and alternative remedies for infections and diseases caused by the tested organisms.

Keywords: A. melegueta, anti-bacterial, enterobacteriaceae, sensitivity and inhibition.