Assessment of the Antimicrobial Activity of Lactic Acid Bacteria from Sorghum Slurry on Clinical Strains of Diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli

Background: Sorghum is a nutrient-rich grain ground into flour to make different types of delicacies, and it has been reported to possess probiotic potentials. Objective: To assess the antimicrobial activity of Lactobacillus plantarum obtained from sorghum slurry on strains of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli from cases of diarrhoea. Methods: A total of 36 samples of wet-milled sorghum slurry and liquor pH were obtained and cultured on MRSA and were, after that, biochemically characterized for Lactobacillus plantarum, which was tested by agar well diffusion against 15 strains of Escherichia coli isolated from cases of diarrhoea. Results: Microbiological analysis of the 36 samples of sorghum explored produced 15 isolates of Lactobacillus plantarum. A progressive increase in acidity in relation to an increase in the period of fermentation was observed. Ninety-five per cent of the Escherichia coli strains showed resistance against some standard antibiotics. At the same time, the isolates of Lactobacillus plantarum obtained inhibited isolates of diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli tested, showing potential usefulness of the sorghum slurry as a probiotic. Conclusion: The inhibitory activity of Lactobacillus plantarum isolated from sorghum slurry showed antimicrobial potentials that could be used for therapeutic purposes in treating diarrhoea caused by   Escherichia coli, pending further investigation.