In vitro Assessment of Euclea crispa (Thunb.) Leaf Extracts against Campylobacter spp. and Escherichia coli - Common Diarrhoeal Agents

Diarrhoea is a common childhood disease with high mortality rate. This study thus aimed at assessing effect of Euclea crispa leaf extract and its fractions against diarrhoea causing bacterial isolates and determining time-kill dynamics by each of the potent fractions. Susceptibility of each isolates was determined by agar well diffusion while the minimum bacteriostatic and bactericidal concentrations were determined by agar dilution method. Time-Kill dynamics was evaluated over a period of 120 min against Escherichia coli (1323) representing Gram negative isolates. The zones of inhibition exhibited by the leaf extract at 20 mg/ml range between 17±0.28 and 22±0.00 mm while that of the partitioned fractions at 10 mg/ml are between 14±0.00 and 22±0.00 mm. MICs of the leaf extract range between 0.31 and 2.50 mg/ml. The lowest MIC (0.08 mg/ml) is exhibited by the fractions partitioned into ethyl acetate, n-butanol and water while that of n-hexane and chloroform is 0.16 mg/ml. The lowest MBC exhibited by all the fractions is 0.31 mg/ml except that of the chloroform (1.25 mg/ml). Total mortality was achieved by the ethyl acetate fraction at a concentration of 2 × MIC after 120 min of contact time, meanwhile the mortality rate achieved by n-butanol, n-hexane, aqueous and chloroform fractions were 98, 94.6, 91.8 and 83.7% respectively under similar condition. This study showcase significant antidiarrhoeal potential of Euclea crispa leaf extracts and equally indicates a source of readily available therapeutic agent against diarrhoeal infection in South Africa and environs.