In vitro screening the antibacterial activity of four whole body eusocial insects extracted by polar solvents

Abstract

Nowadays, insect body derivative products were used as one of alternatives to solve the bacterial resistance to current antibiotics. Bacteria growth inhibition with dry body extracts of the following social hymenopteran insects: honey bee Apis mellifera and three ant species; Monomorium pharoanis, camponotus xerxes and Crematogastor auberti against the bacteria: Gram - positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram - negatives; Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The antibiotics Ceftriaxone (CN), Gentamycin (CRO) and Tetracycline (TE) as standard drugs and negative control by DMSO treatment. Antibacterial activity was measured by disc diffusion test. A. mellifera body extract with the solvents (methanol, hexane) was found less effective than dichloromethane solvent. Also, bacteria susceptibility were varied between Gram stains bacteria and their species. At 5.0 mg/ml concentration of MeOH, extract of M. pharoanis and A. mellifera were inhibited activity of staph. aureus and K. pneumoniae 30.33 and 13.67 mm respectively. K. pneumoniae was more sensitive to M. pharoanis and C. xerxes extracts with 20.0 and 15.67 mm. Pseudo. aeruginosa was found resistant to all the standard drugs and K. pnoumoniae no affected by CRO antibiotic. Methanol body extract of the ants; M. pharoanis, C. xerxes and C. auberti and dichloromethane A. mellifera extracts are promise alternatives in refination and identification of newly antibacterial compounds.