Abstract

ANTIBACTERIAL EVALUATION OF MORINGA OLEIFERA LEAF EXTRACT ON SELECTED BACTERIAL PATHOGENS (ESCHERICHIA COLI, STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS AND PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA)

Abstract

Moringa oleifera also known as Ben oil, drumstick, hoarse-reddish, okwe onyibo is an aborigin of Indian sub-continent and has become utilized in the tropical and subtropical areas of the world. Some test organisms such as Escherichia, Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus species were morphologically and biochemically identified to be two gram negatives and one gram positive organism respectively. They were used to evaluate the antibacterial activities of Moringa leaf extracts. Escherichia specie reacted positively to indole test but did not react to both catalase and coagulase. Escherichia specie also had the ability to ferment sugar. Staphylococcus spp. reacted positively to both catalase and coagulase and negatively to the indole test. Staphylococcus spp. can also ferment sugar while Pseudomonas spp reacted positively to catalase test only and cannot ferment sugar. At the measurement of the zone of inhibition, the equeous leaf extract shows that Escherichia spp had a clear zone of inhibition 8mm at 10ml and was the most effective while Staphylococcus spp had a clear zone of inhibition 5mm at 10ml and Pseudomonas 1mm at 10ml. At the methanolic, the results show that Escherichia spp cleared 2.3mm at 10ml while Staphylococcus spp cleared 1.4mm at 10ml and 3.7mm at 0.63ml while at the ethanolic Escherichia spp cleared 3mm at 10ml and 1mm at 0.6ml while Pseudomonas was 0.2mm at 10ml and 0.0mm at every other concentration. Therefore aqueous leaf extract of Moringa oleifera had the most-inhibitory effects and was the most suitable as an alternative therapy for medical purposes since it had the greatest inhibitory effect than others.

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