Abstract
BackgroundRecently, natural products have been evaluated as sources of antimicrobial agents with efficacies against a variety of micro-organisms.MethodsThis report describes the antimicrobial activities of pomegranate rind extract (PRE) singularly and in combination with cupric sulphate against methicillin-sensitive and -resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA, MRSA respectively), and Panton-Valentine Leukocidin positive community acquired MSSA (PVL positive CA-MSSA).ResultsPRE alone showed limited efficacy against MRSA and MSSA strains. Exposure to copper (II) ions alone for 2 hours resulted in moderate activity of between 102 to 103 log10 cfu mL-1 reduction in growth. This was enhanced by the addition of PRE to 104 log10 cfu mL-1 reduction in growth being observed in 80% of the isolates. However, the PVL positive CA-MSSA strains were more sensitive to copper (II) ions which exhibited moderate activities of between 103 log10 cfu mL-1 reduction in growth for 60% of the isolates.ConclusionPRE, in combination with Cu(II) ions, was seen to exhibit moderate antimicrobial effects against clinical isolates of MSSA, MRSA and PVL positive CA-MSSA isolates. The results of this study indicate that further investigation into the active ingredients of natural products, their mode of action and potential synergism with other antimicrobial agents is warranted. This is the first report of the efficacy of pomegranate against clinical PVL positive CA-MSSA isolates.
Highlights
Natural products have been evaluated as sources of antimicrobial agents with efficacies against a variety of micro-organisms
The community acquired Methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) (CA-MSSA) can produce the PantonValentine Leukocidin (PVL) toxin which is of particular concern as infections with these organisms have resulted in increased levels of morbidity and mortality [6]
Antimicrobial testing Antibiotic sensitivity profiles were first determined for the clinical isolates and the methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates were on average
Summary
Natural products have been evaluated as sources of antimicrobial agents with efficacies against a variety of micro-organisms. Considerable emphasis is being placed on combating multi-drug resistant bacteria in the clinical setting. These proposed infection control measures encompass the study of hospital cleaning measures, prevention of transmission by healthcare workers and the development of new antimicrobial agents [1,2,3]. Methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) are resistant to multiple antibiotics [5], these isolates respond better to treatment than MRSA counterparts. Studies have been redirected towards evaluating traditional medicines as sources of antimicrobial agents [7,8,9,10]. A further study by Braga et al [12] demonstrated the inhibition of growth and release of enterotoxin by some S. aureus isolates
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