Antibacterial Activity of Mentha Piperita Leaf Extract Against Clinical Isolates of Staphylococcus Aureus

Mentha Piperita, is a traditional medicinal plant and it has been reported to possess antibacterial properties. It has been proven scientifically to have pharmacological and antibacterial properties. This work investigated the antibacterial activity of Mentha Piperita leaf extract against clinical isolate of Staphylococcus aureus. The phytochemicals of Mentha Piperita were extracted using ethanol and water solvents. The phytochemical analysis of Mentha Piperita leaves extract detected the presence of Alkaloids, Saponins, phenol, Tannins, steroids, Terpenoides, Glycosides, and phytosteriodes. The bacteria isolate was re-confirmed and identified using the morphological characteristics and biochemical test. The antibacterial activity of the Crude extracts was carried out using agar well diffusion method. The Crude extracts showed significant activity against the test isolate at varied concentrations with zones of inhibitions ranging from 4mm to 20mm for ethanol extract and 2.5mm to 17mm for aqueous extract . The minimum inhibitory concentration of the ethanol extract was 25mg/ml and the aqueous extract was 50mg/ml. The minimum Bactericidal Concentration of the ethanol and aqueous leaf extract was 100mg/ml. The result shows that the ethanol leaf extract of Mentha Piperita leaf having a higher antibacterial activity than the aqueous extract. Mentha Piperita leaf extract has shown antibacterial activity against clinical isolate of S aureus. This plant could be used as an alternative treatment of bacterial food borne infections.