dc.description.abstract | Flueggea leucopyrus Willd is a natural herbal plant native to Sri Lanka with great ayurvedic
therapeutic potential, and this study assessed the antimicrobial activity of methanolic
extracts of F. leucopyrus Willd against some common milk pathogens including S. aureus
(ATCC 25923), P. aeruginosa ( ATCC 27853), Salmonella spp., and E. coli (ATCC 25922).
Agar well di usion assay was implemented for the assessment of in-vitro antibacterial
potency. The Minimal Inhibitary Concentration (MIC) was determined using the agar
broth macro dilution technique as well as Minimal Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) was
also performed. The 400 mg/ml extract showed the highest antibacterial activity against
S. aureus with a zone of inhibition (ZOI) of 28.0 1.0 mm (p > 0.05) without signi cantly
altering from the positive control, gentamicin (28.3 0.6 mm). A ZOI of 27.0 1.0
mm, which was higher than that of the positive control (26.7 0.6 mm) was exhibited
against E. coli at a concentration of 400 mg/ml, did not di er signi cantly (p > 0.05) from
the control. Inhibition zones were also observed for concentration of 200, 100, 50, and
25 mg/ml against S. aureus and E. coli, but signi cantly lower (p < 0.0001) compared to
controls. Only the 400 mg/ml extract inhibited the growth of Salmonella spp. ZOIs were
also observed against P. aeruginosa with the concentration of 400, 200, and 100 mg/ml
but comparatively low. The mean MBC values ranged from 16.7 mg/ml to 400 mg/ml,
with values against S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, Salmonella spp., and E. coli were 16.7 7.2
mg/ml, 66.7 28.9 mg/ml, 400 0.0 mg/ml, and 20.8 7.2 mg/ml, respectively. These
preliminary observations demonstrate the e ective antimicrobial activity of Katupilaas a
natural antibacterial agent for milk and milk products and suggest the prospect of using
them in drugs to treat infectious illnesses caused by the tested microorganisms. | en_US |