Journal of Advances in Microbiology

Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the antibacterial efficacy of Jatropha curcas leaf extract against some isolates associated with surgical wounds.

Study Design: This was a hospital-based study conducted in 2017 in the Department of medical microbiology unit of Bingham university teaching hospital and the national veterinary research institute (NVRI) both institutions are located in Jos Plateau State Nigeria.

Methodology: A total of twenty (20) isolates from clinical specimens of surgical wounds were used. The following bacteria were identified using biochemical analysis: Staphylococcus aureus (15), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (2), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (3). Using standard methods of ethanol and aqueous extraction techniques, the leaves of the Jatropha curcas were examined for phytochemical content. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the isolate were determined using the broth dilution method, while the antibacterial activity of the isolate was observed using the agar well diffusion techniques.

Results: The result of the phytochemical extraction shows the presence of the following Alkaloids (secondary metabolite) Saponins, Tannins, glycosides, Flavonoids, Oxalate, Terpenoids, Resins and steroids. The ethanol extract of Jatropha curcas exhibited antimicrobial activity against all the test bacteria with higher activity recorded with Staphylococcus aureus (15 mm) followed by Klebsiella pneumonia (12 mm) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (10 mm). Aqueous extract of Jatropha curcas leaves did not exhibit significant antimicrobial activity against all the test isolates when compared to Ethanol Extraction However Aqueous extract of Jatropha curcas had a slight antimicrobial activity against only Staphylococcus aureus in the range of (5 mm to 7 mm). The MIC value for the ethanol extract of Jatropha curcas ranged from 100mg/ml to 200mg/ml while the MIC value for the aqueous extract was 200mg/ml. 

Conclusion: The result of the present study shows that the ethanol and aqueous extracts of Jatropha Curcas leaves possess some antibacterial activities. The ethanol extract had higher antimicrobial activity than the aqueous extract on surgical wounds. It could therefore be inferred that these leaves contain bioactive constituents which can effectively inhibit the growth of some microorganisms. The plant could be used as an alternative therapy in the treatment of surgical wounds.