Comparative studies of the antimicrobial effect of ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Garcinia kola on Klebsiella pneumonia and Candida albicans in vitro

Antimicrobial resistance has become a global health problem. Although a wide range of chemotherapeutic antimicrobials are available for treatment of microbial related infections and diseases, development of resistance to these chemotherapeutic agents is rapidly on the increase. Extracts from some plants have shown some promise in antimicrobial activity. This has led to the screening of several medicinal plants for their potential antimicrobial activity. Therefore, this study was aimed at evaluating the antimicrobial effect of ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Garcinia kola against Klebsiella pneumonia and Candida albicans in vitro. The Garcinia kola seeds extracts were obtained using 70% ethanol and distilled water respectively. Phytochemical screening of Garcinia kola revealed the presence of various potent phytochemicals such as tannins, saponins, flavonoids, alkaloids and glycosides. Both extracts of the seeds were investigated for antimicrobial activity using disc diffusion and agar well diffusion sensitivity tests. The ethanol extract produced zones of inhibition of about 7.3 mm for Candida albicans only at a concentration of 800mg/ml for the disc diffusion test. For the agar well diffusion test, the aqueous extract produced zones of inhibition of about 9.5 mm, while the ethanol extract produced zone of inhibition of 19 mm against Candida albicans at a concentration of 800 mg/ml. However, at the same concentration, the ethanol extract produced zones of inhibition of about 8.5 mm against Klebsiella pneumoniae. The findings of this study revealed that Garcinia kola was not effective in treating Klebsiella pneumonia infections but has potential in treating Candida albicans infections. Keywords: Garcinia kola, Klebsiella pneumonia, Candida albicans