Antibacterial activity of crude methanolic extract and various fractions of Vitex agnus castus and myrsine africana against clinical isolates of methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus

ABSTRACT

Staphylococcus aureus is a nosocomial pathogen that resides in the soft tissues causing many diseases. The current study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Methicillin Resistant S. aureus [MRSA] in ear discharge and pus of patients and antibacterial activity of crude methanolic extract [Cr. MeOH Ext.] and various fractions of M. Africana and V. agnus castus against clinical isolates of MRSA. A total of 40 samples were collected from ear, nose and throat [ENT] outpatient department and wards of Khyber Teaching Hospital [KTH], Peshawar. Out of 40 samples, 36 [90%] samples showed growth on Mannitol Salt Agar [MSA] media out of which 9[25%] were MRSA and the remaining 27[75%] were methicillin susceptible S. aureus [MSSA]. A good antibacterial activity was observed for the Cr. MeOH Ext. [76.1%] and ethyl acetate [EtOAc] fraction of V. agnus castus against S[11] [71.4%]. The n-hexane fraction also showed good antibacterial effect [70%] against S[26]. The chloroform [CHCl[3]], butanol [BuOH] and aqueous fractions of M. africana showed good antibacterial activity against S[11] [71.4%], S[32] [70%] and S[26] [75%], respectively. The above results revealed that the selected plants can be further utilized for isolation of the active ingredients as the crude extracts were found good for inhibition of MRSA