Mycoplasma and Neisseria Prevalence in Asymptomatic Women and Investigation of their Susceptibility to Tamarindus indica and Syzygium aromaticum Aqueous Extracts

Abstract

Neisseria and Mycoplasma are two prevalent bacteria in the female urogenital tract leading to gynecological infections and infertility. The aim of this study was to assess the antibacterial activity of Tamarindus indica and Syzygium aromaticum extracts against Neisseria and Mycoplasma isolates. It was a cross cectional study on 60 asymptomatic women at the Protestant and Regional Hospital of Ngaoundere. For this reason, a large consecutive sample of patients with several well-defined characteristics was assembled and urine and cervical-vaginal swab were collected using standard procedures. After being isolated on a specific medium, several strains of Neisseria and Mycoplasma were identified based on their morphological and biochemical characteristics. The antibacterial activity of the plant extracts was tested using the agar-well diffusion method. It was discovered that 70% of asymptomatic women had overall infection, with varying prevalence rates. The prevalence rates of Neisseria and Mycoplasma were 14.29% and 85.71% respectively. The aqueous extracts of Syzygium aromaticum against Neisseria produced inhibitory diameters of 43 mm, 40 mm and 32 mm at doses of 20 mg/mL, 10 mg/mL, and 5 mg/mL, respectively while, at the same doses, the aqueous extract of Tamarindus indica produced inhibitory diameters of 16 mm, 14 mm and 13 mm, respectively. The combined extract of Syzygium aromaticum and Tamarindus indica exhibits inhibitory diameters of 25, 23, and 30 mm at 20 mg/mL, 10 mg/mL, and 5 mg/mL, respectively. Syzygium aromaticum extract alone showed efficacy against Mycoplasma, with diameters of 16.5 mm, 13 mm and 10.5 mm at concentrations of 20 mg/mL, 10 mg/mL, and 5 mg/mL respectively. Inhibition diameters of 18 mm (for fosfomycin and ofloxacin), 22 mm (for chloramphenicol and ceftriaxone) and 26 mm (for levofloxacin) were found using Neisseria isolates. The only drugs that demonstrated efficacy against Mycoplasma were Minocycline and Josamycin. Given these findings, extracts of Syzygium aromaticum and Tamarindus indica can be investigated and used to treat infections caused by Niesseria and Mycoplasma.