Antibacterial Activity of Traditional Medicinal Plants: Combating Antibiotics Resistance in Animal Wound Infections

The rise of antibiotic resistance poses a significant challenge to veterinary medicine, particularly in the treatment of wound infections in animals. This study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial properties of traditional medicinal plants against four bacterial strains isolated from septic animal wound infections and to compare their effectiveness with broad-spectrum antibiotics. A total of 150 bacterial isolates were collected using sterile cotton swabs, cultured on nutrient and mannitol salt agar for growth and identified through catalase and coagulase tests. The study assessed antibiotic resistance and tested the bacterial isolates' susceptibility to medicinal plants using the disc diffusion method. Among the isolates, Staphylococcus aureus was the most common pathogen, accounting for 26.6% (40 isolates), followed by Escherichia coli at 26% (39 isolates). Streptococcus spp. and Pseudomonas spp. were found in 20% (30 isolates) and 16% (25 isolates), respectively. Antibiogram analysis revealed notable antibiotic resistance, with S. aureus showing the highest resistance to Ciprofloxacin (60.5%) and Rifampicin (57.5%). E. coli exhibited 61.5% resistance to Ciprofloxacin and 56.4% to streptomycin. Streptococcus spp. had the highest resistance to Ciprofloxacin (53.3%), whereas Pseudomonas spp. showed the greatest resistance to Chloramphenicol (52%). Ethanol extracts of the medicinal plants, prepared using various solvents, were utilized for testing. Ethanol extracts of Loranthus acaciae and Cymbopogon proximus at concentrations of 60-90 mu L demonstrated the largest inhibition zones, ranging from 55.5 +/- 3.85 to 57.5 +/- 2.5 mm against E. coli and S. aureus. Inhibition zones for Streptococcus spp. and Pseudomonas spp. ranged from 50 +/- 2 to 48.3 +/- 1.7 mm. In comparison, the standard antibiotics exhibited inhibition zones of 58.95 +/- 2.55-60 +/- 2.5 mm against S. aureus and E. coli, with slightly lower zones (51.65 +/- 1.6-49 +/- 1 mm) observed for Streptococcus spp. and Pseudomonas spp. These findings underscore the significant antibacterial activity of medicinal plants against multidrug-resistant pathogens in animal wound infections, highlighting their potential to accelerate healing, reduce infection severity and provide a cost-effective alternative to combat antibiotic resistance.