Antibacterial Activity Of Allium cepa (Onions) And Zingiber officinale (Ginger) On Staphylococcus aureus And Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated From High Vaginal Swab

Abstract

The antibacterial activity of raw and aqueous extracts of Allium cepa (onions) and Zingiber officinale (ginger) against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, (from high vaginal swab) that are common cause of nosocomial (hospital-acquired) and urinary tract infections was investigated using the cup-plate diffusion method. The result showed that ethanolic extract of ginger gave the widest zone of inhibition against the two test organisms at the concentration of 0.8gml-1. However, Pseudomonas aeruginosa was more sensitive to the extract of onion bulbs compared to Staphylococcus aureus. It was also observed that the solvent of extraction and its varying concentrations affected the sensitivity of the two organisms to the plant materials. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of ginger extracts on the test organisms ranged from 0.1gml-1 0.2gml-1, showing that ginger was more effective and produced marked inhibitory effect on the two test organisms compared to the onion extracts. This investigation indicates that, though both plants had antibacterial activity on the two test organisms, ginger had more inhibitory effect thus confirming their use in folk medicine.