Antimicrobial Efficacy of Ginger Root Extracts on Carbapenemase Resistant E.coli and K.pneumoniae Isolated from Clinical Samples

ABSTRACT The rate at which pathogens are becoming resistant to more antimicrobial agents and the diseases caused by multi-drug resistant bacteria cannot be exaggerated. Thereby, the need to explore nature for alternatives, either for direct usage or synthesized from nature. The aim of the study was to determine the antibacterial efficacy of the ethanolic and methanolic extracts of Zingiber officinale (ginger) against Cabapenem resistant K. pneumoniae, and E.coli. Fifty preidentified cultures of the clinical isolates (25 K. pneumoniae, 25 E.coli). Isolates were recovered using Eosin Methylene Blue Agar following standard microbiological procedures and characterized biochemically using Gram negative disks. Isolates were subjected to antibiotic susceptibility test using double-disc diffusion technique. The antibiotic susceptibility test was carried out using 10 selected antibiotics and the Cabarpenem resistant enterobacteriaceae screening was carried out following the CLSI, 2021 standard. Fresh ginger plants were collected, sterilized and extracted using standard procedure for ethanol and methanol solvents. The bacteria showed a high degree of resistance to the antibiotics used which recorded 100% resistance for Escherichia Sp against Ampicillin, and Augmentin as compared to Cefotaxime which had the least resistance at 42%. Klebsiella Sp had the highest rate of resistance at 100% against Nitrofurantoin. The lowest resistance was against Ofloxacin at 15%. The MDR result revealed 12(57%) as positive for Escherichia Sp and 15(25%) as positive for Klebsiella Sp .The Carbapenem resistant screening revealed out of 12(100%) Escherichia Sp, 8(66%) was confirmed to be CRE, out of 15(100%) identified Klebsiella Sp, 8(53%) was confirmed to be CRE. All the bacteria tested were resistant to both ethanol and the methanol extracts of ginger, but with higher resistance of bacteria to ethanolic extract than the methanolic extract. Mempomem antibiotics was used as a control for all the samples and when compared to the extracts, they were more susceptible to the organisms. The extracts of zingiber officinale plants are recommended for use in treating infections caused by E. coli and K. pneumonia. Further studies are also encouraged on the metabolites that causes the potency of this plants.