ABSTRACT
Studies on Staphylococcusaureus and Staphylococcusintermedius from dog and cat, and also on Staphylococcusaureus from wound and pyoderma infections, have shown a correlation between the site of microbial infection and antimicrobial susceptibility. Both the methanolic extract concentrate of Garcinia kola (Heckel) seeds and natural honey have been associated with activity on bacterial isolates from respiratory tract infections. In this study, selected bacteria belonging to genera from burn wound infection sites were treated with natural honey and methanolic extract concentrate of Garcinia kola in antimicrobial susceptibility tests separately and in combined form, and also with gentamicin and methanol as controls. The two natural products were found to be active on the bacterial isolates, excluding Klebsiellapneumoniae strains, all of which showed resistance to honey. Combination forms of the two natural products were active only on the strains of Pseudomonasaeruginosa. At 4 and 8 µg/ml, gentamicin was ineffective on the three strains of Klebsiellapneumoniae while 8 µg/ml was moderately active on only two strains of Pseudomonasaeruginosa. One strain of Pseudomonasaeruginosa, UCH002, was resistant to gentamicin beyond 1,000 µ/ml. Gentamicin at 4 µ/ml was inhibitory to one strain of Escherichiacoli and two strains of Staphylococcusaureus. Though the antimicrobial activity of the two natural products tested had been previously reported against microbial agents of respiratory tract infection, it was also recorded in this study. The lack of activity of each of the three honey types used in this study against the Klebsiellapneumoniae strains tested underscores the need to exclude this organism from burn wound infections before embarking on treatment with honey. The sensitivity of one high-level gentamicin-resistant strain of Pseudomonasaeruginosa to honey and Garcinia kola seed extract was noteworthy considering the therapeutic failures of gentamicin and other antibiotics against Pseudomonasaeruginosa.
