An Evaluation of the Antibacterial Properties of Oliveria decumbents against Bacteria Isolated from Patients with Respiratory Infections

Abstract

Background and Aim: Medicinal plants have long been used as an alternative or complement to the treatment and prevention of respiratory tract infections. The present study attempts to investigate the antibacterial effects of Oliveria decumbents on bacterial infections isolated from a hospitalized patient with respiratory disorders. Materials and Methods: Twenty-five respiratory infection samples were collected from fifty-one patients that were hospitalized in the intensive care unit of the medical centers of Jahrom, Iran. Plant materials were obtained from the natural environment areas around Jahrom, and hydro-alcoholic extraction was prepared through the percolation method. The antimicrobial impacts of the plant extract were evaluated by the disc diffusion method against clinical and standard strains, and the results were compared with common antibiotics. Moreover, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the herbal extracts was assessed by the broth macro dilution method. Results: From the 51 clinical samples, S. aureus (11 cases, 21.5%), S. pneumoniae (8 cases, 15.6%), and P. aeruginosa (6 cases, 11.7%) were isolated. Furthermore, this herbal extract showed antibacterial activity by inhibiting the growth of three strains of S. aureus and one strain of S. pneumoniae in comparison to Amoxicillin and Amoxicillin-Clavulanate. Nevertheless, this extract did not affect P. aeruginosa clinical isolates. The MIC activity of the herbal extract for S. aureus with a concentration of 25 µg/ml, for S. pneumoniae with 50 µg/ml, and for P. aeruginosa with 200 µg/ml was observed. Conclusion: Hydro-alcoholic extract of O. decumbens showed antibacterial effects on different bacterial strains that were isolated from respiratory infections.

Keywords

• Oliveria decumbents, Anti-bacterial, Bacterial infections