Assessing the bactericidal effectiveness of Tamarindus Indica fruit pulp extract on Salmonella typhi

Abstract

Tamarindus indica is a plant that is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of cold, fever, stomach disorder, diarrhea and jaundice and as skin cleanser. Its fruit pulp is largely consumed. Salmonella typhi is a gram negative bacterium that is known to cause the prevalent typhoid fever in humans as a result of poor hygiene and lack of safe drinking water. The fever causes significant illness and deaths among populations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the scientific basis for the use of the fruit pulp of the plant, the antimicrobial activities of extract of the fruit pulp was evaluated against Salmonella typhi bacterium. The study also investigated the chemical constituents of the plant and how effective it is by determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). The phytochemical constituents of the dried fruit pulp parts were extracted using an organic solvent (methanol). The antimicrobial activity of the concentrated extract was evaluated by determination of the diameter of zone of inhibition against gram negative bacteria Salmonella typhi using the agar well diffusion method. Pharmacognostical and physiochemical analysis of Tamarindus indica Linn pulp indicate the presence of tannins, glycosides, flavonoids, and alkaloids among other compounds (Naveena et al., 2014). The extract was active against gram negative bacterium Salmonella typhi. Studies on the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the fruit pulp extract on the test organism showed a relatively low MIC and the MBC against Salmonella typhi. Tamarindus indica fruit pulp has effective bactericidal activity against Salmonella typhi and a potential source of new classes of antibiotics that could be useful for typhoid disease chemotherapy and control.