In vitro antibacterial activity of garlic (Allium sativum) and ginger (Zingiber officinale) aqueous extracts against isolates of Brucella abortus

Abstract

Microbial resistance to antibiotics has become a problem plaguing the world. Currently, interest has been focused on exploring antimicrobial properties of plants and herbs. This work aim to evaluate the antibacterial activity of garlic (Allium sativum) bulbs and ginger (Zingiber officinale) rhizome on Brucella abortus isolates. Some concentrations of garlic and ginger extracts were tested for their antibacterial activity against B. abortus isolate brought from Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL), Soba, using well diffusion method. Moreover, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum lethal concentration (MLC) of garlic and ginger were tested using broth dilution method. Sensitivity pattern of the conventional antibacterial against common pathogenic bacteria was tested using disc diffusion method. Aqueous extract of ginger produced dose-dependent increase in the zone of inhibition at a concentration of 15% and higher, whereas the garlic extract produced inhibition zone at a concentration of 5% and higher, i.e. B. abortus isolate showed relatively high sensitivity toward garlic extract than ginger which required a more concentrated extract to kill or inhibit B. abortus isolate that brought from (CVRL), Soba, Khartoum, Sudan. Further studies are needed to find out the efficacy, safety, and kinetic data of their active ingredients.