ANTIBACTERIAL POTENTIAL OF MELIA AZEDARACH LEAVES AND FRUITS EXTRACTS AGAINST BACTERIAL SPECIES PRODUCING FOOD POISONING DISEASES

Abstract

The current study was conducted for the evaluation of antimicrobial activities of Melia azedarach fruit and leaf extracts using aqueous and ethanol solvents against 5 bacterial strains: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Bacillus cereus. Antibacterial activities were evaluated by the disc diffusion method, whereas the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were measured applying standards bacteriological techniques. Outcomes of the disc diffusion technique assay showed that ethanol extracts displayed significant antibacterial potential as compared with water extracts, with a zone of inhibition spectrum of 15 to 22 mm for fruits and leaves, matched to 10 to 14 mm for water extracts at 100 mg/mL. The maximum vulnerability was shown against Bacillus cereus, while Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed the smallest sensitivity. The MIC degree additionally verified strong efficiency of ethanol leaf extracts, ranging from 25 to 125mg/mL, whereas fruit extracts (aqueous) showed the maximum MIC degrees (up to 200mg/mL). Likewise, MBC results showed that ethanol leaf extracts had the strongest bactericidal efficiency (50–225 mg/mL), while fruit water extracts displayed the weakest activities (200–250 mg/mL). Generally, the results indicate that Melia azedarach exhibits strong antibacterial activities, predominantly in ethanol leaf extracts, and might act as a latent source of natural antibacterial substances. The research also highlights the dissimilarity in microbial vulnerability, with Gram-positive microbes being more susceptible as compared with Gram-negative microbes.