Antimicrobial Efficacy of Chromolaena odorata Extract against Bacteria Isolated from Patients with Urinary Tract Infection in Ondo State, Nigeria

Aim: This study is designed to isolate and identify the microorganisms associated with urinary tract infection in infected patients, determine the antimicrobial resistance pattern on the microbial isolates and the antimicrobial efficacy of solvents leaf extract of Chromolaena odorata on the resistant isolates.

Methodology: Six hundred (600) mid-stream urine samples were collected from infected patients in some selected hospitals in Ondo State. The phytochemical screening of the plant was determined. The antibiotics sensitivity and antimicrobial activity of the plant extract was determined using plate assay and agar well diffusion methods.

Results: Out of 600 urine samples analyzed, 472 (78.68%) showed significant growth of uropathogens comprising 197 (32.80%) male and 275 (45.83%) female. The isolated microorganisms comprise 5 Gram-positive bacteria (GPB), 9 Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) and 4 Candida sp. GNB account for 284(58.79%), GPB 158(32.71%) and Candida sp 41(8.48%). Escherichia coli showed high prevalence 90(18.63%) while Klebsiella ozaenae showed the least 11(2.27%). The phytochemical constituents of C. odorata extracts contained tannins, flavonoids, saponins, steroids and terpernoids and bacterial isolates showed resistant to all the antibiotics. Pseudomonas mendocina and P. putida showed the least resistant to C. odorata extracts. The MIC of the leaf extracts ranged from 5.0 mg/ml to 50.0 mg/ml. The methanol extract had the highest antimicrobial activity than n-hexane and chloroform extracts on the uropathogens.

Conclusion: The high therapeutic potentials of C. odorata extract against the uropathogens could be used as alternative phytotherapy in herbal medicine to the commercial antibiotics in the treatment of urinary tract infections.