Susceptibility of Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi and Shigella spp to Ethanoic Extract of Lawsonia inermis

Background: The acceptance of traditional medicine as an alternative form of healthcare and the development of microbial resistance to the available antibiotics has led researchers to investigate the antimicrobial activity of plant extracts.

Aim: This was to evaluate antibacterial activity and potential effect of Lawsonia inermis leaves against three tests organisms namely: Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, and Shigella.

Methodology: Ethanoic extracts of Lawsonia inermis was obtained. The extracts were boiled, macerated, soaked and the implementation of the extracts to determine the antimicrobial activities on culture was performed by diffusion method. Three antibiotics (Gentamicin, Ciprofloxacin and Cefataxime) were used as control for the test organisms respectively.

Results: The inhibition of each test organism was achieved in one or two extracts. Escherichia coli had the highest (7.25mm) zone of inhibition from soaked extract with lowest (5.00mm) zone of inhibition from boiled extract, Salmonella typhi had the highest (11.63mm) zone of inhibition from boiled extract with lowest (8.25mm) zone of inhibition from macerated extract, and Shigella had the highest zone of inhibition 19.50mm from soaked extract, and had the lowest zone of inhibition 12.63mm from boiled extract. Furthermore, the soaked ethanoic extract had a zone of inhibition ranging from 7.25mm- 19.50mm. Also, the ethanoic extract boiled had zones of inhibition ranging from 5.00mm – 12.63mm, and the ethanoic extract macerated had a zone of inhibition range of 6.63mm- 17.75mm. The zones of inhibition produced by the controls are; gentamicin produced zones of inhibition ranging from 25.00mm – 26.00mm, ciprofloxacin produced zones of inhibition ranging from 20.00mm – 22.00mm, and cefataxime produced zones of inhibition ranging from 18.00mm – 21.00mm. The Statistical analysis was applied to the result using the one-way ANOVA test to compare the differences in the means.

Conclusion: The results indicated that there was no significant difference in the effects of the ethanoic extracts of Lawsonia inermis on the tests organisms S. typhi, E. coli and Shigella and the controls. (p<0.05, F Cal = 0.103, F Tab = 4.257).