Antibacterial activity of bark extracts of Terminalia arjuna (Roxb .) against Extended Spectrum -Lactamase producing multi drug resistant Bacteria from Urinary Tract Infections

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are most common in both community and hospital settings and affect both male and females. The production of Extended Spectrum �-Lactamases (ESBL) is an important mechanism for resistance to the 3 rd generation cephalosporins in Enterobacteriaceae causing UTIs. Hence an attempt is made in this study to determine the effect of Terminalia arjuna(Roxb.) against UTIs by ESBL producing bacteria. A study was conducted on 94 bacterial isolates from 162 urine samples. ESBL production was identified by using Cefotaxime and Ceftazidime by Combination Disc Method (CDM). The antibacterial activity of the bark extract of Terminalia arjuna against ESBL producing bacteria was determined by Disc diffusion and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC). A total of 52 isolates were identified as ESBL positive (26 were Escherichia coli, 15 Klebsiella pneumoniae, 8 Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 2 Proteus vulgaris and 1 was Enterobacter sp.).The results of antibacterial activity of bark extract of Terminalia arjuna(Roxb.) against ESBL producing isolates revealed that ethanol is showing the maximum antibacterial property followed by aqueous extract. From this study, it was found that Terminalia arjuna(Roxb.) has the potential for the production of drug for the treatment of UTIs caused by ESBL producing bacteria. This might be the first report of antimicrobial activity of bark extract of Terminalia arjuna (Roxb.) against ESBL producing human pathogenic bacteria.