Antibacterial Effects of Methanol Extract of Bryophyllum pinnatum L on Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Isolated from Urine

There are major concerns about rising levels of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). This is due to the difficulties in treating the infections which they cause and .the ease with which they spread in hospitals. This has necessitated the continuous search for alternative anti-MRSA agents. Efforts in this study was therefore directed at isolation of MRSA from the urine of patients and its susceptibility to the methanol extract and aqueous fraction of Bryophyllum pinnatum . Urine samples from the urine of patients were screened for the presence of Staphylococcus aureus using conventional microbiological methods. Confirmed isolates were screened for methicillin resistance by confirming their susceptibility or otherwise to 30µg cefoxitin. Detection of Mec A gene by Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was further used to confirm some MRSA isolates. Conventional susceptibility testing methods were used to compare the activity of both methanol extract of Brophyllum pinnatum and its aqueous fraction on the MRSA isolates. Results obtained confirmed the susceptibility of the MRSA isolates to the extracts and that their activity was time dependent. It also showed that the extract was only moderately toxic with an LD50 of 866.03mg/kg body weight and that at the MIC and 2xMIC their activity was only bacteriostatic. Results obtained are intended to be used to prove that in the search for alternative anti- MRSA agents from natural sources, Bryophyllum pinnatum will be a possible candidate for further investigation.