IN-VITRO ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF CERTAIN WILD MEDICINAL PLANTS AGAINST BOVINE MASTITIS ISOLATED CONTAGIOUS PATHOGENS

The study was conducted with the objective to evaluate the antibacterial activity of the aqueous and alcoholic extracts of some selected medicinal plants against the microbes responsible for causing diseases in mastitis. The aqueous and alcoholic extracts of aerial parts of selected medicinal plants were obtained by extraction in cold maceration using water and methanol (95%) as solvents respectively. Both the extracts were assessed for their antibacterial activity against Streptococcus agalactiae, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The extracts were effective against the bacteria tested with zone of inhibition ranging from 8.0 to 25.0 mm. The Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values for the extracts ranged from 0.125 to 2.00 mg/ml. 4 . Indians have been traditional users of plant derived medicines both directly and as an integral constituent of plethora of packages and practices of indigenous medicine. These plants and their extracts are being used in the pharmaceutical preparations of modern medicine, veterinary and in agriculture5. In India specifically in Tamil Nadu ethnoveterinary practices are very common in villages. Most of the approaches of the farmers are based on empiric knowledge with significant results in cattle. The antimicrobials obtained from plants are of much therapeutic potential and are effective in treatment of infectious diseases while simultaneously mitigating many of the side effects that are often associated with synthetic antimicrobials6. A short survey prior to this study was undertaken among known farmers about their interest in ethnobotany and treatment of their cattle sources. Most of them expressed a desire to learn more about the proper use and application of ethnoveterinary practices as these were economically, socially and culturally more acceptable for marginalized communities. The present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of aqueous and methanolic extracts of some wild medicinal plants against bovine mastitis isolated contagious pathogens. MATERIALS AND METHODS Collection of Plants Fresh plant parts were collected randomly from the gardens and villages of Coimbatore district, Tamilnadu, India. (Dactyloctenium indicum L., Argemone Mexicana L., Calotropis gigantea (L.) W.T. Aiton, Trigonella foenum-graecum L. , Acacia leucophloea (Roxb.) Willd. , Acacia nilotica (L.) Delile, Achyranthes aspera L. , Acalypha indica L. , Coccinia grandis (L.) J.Voigt Asteracantha longifolia (L.) Nees, Abutilon indicum (L.) Sweet. , Cenchrus ciliaris L. , Brachiaria sp. (Rendle) Schweick, Trichodesma indicum (L.) R. Br. , Melinis repens (Willd) Zizka, Barleria lupulina Lindl. , Chloris inlata (L.) Sw. , Medicago sativa L. , Spermacoce hispida L. , Rhynchosia capitata (Heyne ex Roth) DC). (Table 1). The taxonomic identities of plants were confirmed by Dr.V. Sampath Kumar, Scientist, Botanical Survey of India (Southern Circle), Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India and the voucher specimen of the plants have been preserved at RVS College Microbiology Laboratory. The collected plants were washed with running tap water, air dried, homogenized to a fine powder and stored in air-tight bottles at 4oC.