Investigating the Inhibition of Bacterial Growth by Extracts of Azadirachta Indica and Cryptolepis Sanguinolenta

Overview

Millions of people are affected every year due to antibiotic resistant bacteria, posing a threat to human well-being. Inappropriate and over usage of antibiotics, in addition to the emergence of many drug resistant bacteria is increasingly challenging the effectiveness of current drugs. This experiment evaluates the effectiveness of Azadirachta indica and Cryptolepis sanguinolenta in inhibiting the growth of Citrobacter freundii, Micrococcus luteus, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Serratia marcescens, and Bacillus subtilis. A total of 60 different extract cocktails were screened using the Kirby-Bauer Disk Diffusion Assay over a 5-log range producing 5 dilutions of each of the extracts. In addition to that, a spectrophotometer was used to measure the optical density of the different cocktails to investigate the effect of the two plant extracts on the growth rate of bacteria. The data captured proves that Cryptolepis sanguinolenta was more effective in inhibiting the growth of the bacteria when compared to Azadirachta indica. Interestingly, when analyzing the growth rate of the bacteria, it was concluded that both of the extracts slowed down the growth of the six bacterial cultures, although Cryptolepis sanguinolenta proved to be more effective, when compared to Azadirachta indica. As a result, this experiment demonstrates the high potential of target cocktails from plant extracts as effective alternates to antibiotics.

Competition history

• AJAS 2018 Category not listed

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