Philippine E-Journals

Antimicrobial Activity of Averrhoa bilimbi Fruit Methanolic Extract on Streptococcus pyogenes

Ma. Trisha A. Albesa | Jamie Anne E. Cruz | Mico E. De Leon | Kristal A. Dimalanta | Kim C. Escaro | Camille Ann M. Festin | Carmikhael H. Fontanilla | Rozenlyn D. Godienes | Kimberly D. Macalisang | Amado M. Mendoza Jr. | Lorenzo C. Rasalan | Raphael David D. Sadang | Irene V. Columbano

 

Abstract:

Introduction: Increasing incidence of respiratory tract infections such as acute sinusitis, acute otitis media, pharyngitis, community-acquired pneumonia and acute bronchitis are widespread, and represent a major health concern, particularly in low-resource settings. The most common etiologic agent causing such infections is Streptococcus pyogenes. It is a gram - positive bacteria commonly seen in the human throat and skin. This pathogen remains among the top ten causes of mortality from an infectious disease. Antibiotic resistance to S. pyogenes has been continuously rising in all parts of the world which warrants the need for continuous surveillance of antimicrobial resistance patterns. Averrhoa bilimbi is a medicinal plant belonging to the family Oxalidaceae, known to have high content of oxalic acid and is rich in vitamin C with high levels of antioxidants. Previous studies showed that A. bilimbi has antimicrobial property and has therapeutic uses for several diseases such as Diabetes Mellitus and hypertension. Objective: The study aims to determine the Antimicrobial Activity of Averrhoa bilimbi fruit methanolic extract on Streptococcus pyogenes isolated in pure culture. Methodology: An experimental research design was used in this study. Disk Diffusion technique specifically the Kirby Bauer method was utilized with the use of Penicillin G as the positive control and Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as the negative control. A. bilimbi fruit extract of 100 uL concentration was incorporated in disk against the test organism, S. pyogenes. Diameter of zone of inhibition was measured. Results: The results exhibited zone of inhibition against Streptococcus pyogenes done in triplicates. The antimicrobial activity of A. bilimbi fruit extract was statistically significant compared to Penicillin G with a p-value of 0.04. Compared to DMSO, the results gave a statistically different result with a p-value of 0.03 signifying that the fruit extract is more effective. Comparison of the zone of inhibition of the fruit extract, Penicillin G and DMSO yielded a significant difference with a p-value of 0.02 using Kruskal Wallis Test. Conclusion: Averrhoa bilimbi extract is more effective than Penicillin G in terms of antimicrobial activity based from the zone of inhibition against Streptococcus pyogenes.