Antibacterial Effects of Newbouldia laevis {P. BEAUV} on the Bacteria Isolated from the Blood of Hepatitis C Virus Positive Individuals

The methanol, chloroform and aqueous leaf extracts of Newbouldia laevis Were obtained using cold extraction method. Phytochemical screening {qualitative} of the extracts was investigated and the inhibitory activity of extracts against the isolates were assayed by agar well diffusion technique. The concentrations were varied from 100 mg/ml to 400 mg/ml and zones of inhibition at every concentration were recorded. The bacterial isolates including Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Streptococcus pnuemoniae and Salmonella sp. The extracts revealed the presence of flavonoids, tannins, terpenes, alkanoids, phenolics, saponins and cardiac glycosides with exception of chloroform extract that revealed the presence of alkanoids, saponins and tannins only. Antibacterial activity revealed that methanol extract had the highest potency with 23.03±0.33e mm, followed by aqueous extract with 21.75±0.22d mm zones of inhibition against S. aureus, and the chloroform extract had the highest activity of 16.0±0.59d mm zone of inhibition against Salmonella sp. while aqueous extract had the least zone of inhibition against P. mirabilis with 10.07±0.67a mm on isolates. All the extracts, irrespective of the extracting solvents had a minimum inhibitory concentrations {MIC} range of 6.25 – 50 mg/ml and minimum bactericidal concentrations {MBC} range of 12.5 – 100 mg/ml. Findings from this research shows that N. laevis has high antibacterial potency against pathogens in blood even in comparison with some conventional antibiotics used.