Antibacterial activity of methanolic crude extracts from Aerva lanata (L.) A.L. Juss. ex Schultes against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli using in vitro bladder model for catheter-associated urinary tract infection

Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) represents the most important bacterial infection associated with catheter usage, which originates in uropathogens and results in biofilm formation. The study investigated the antibacterial activity of methanolic crude extract of Aerva lanata (L.) A.L. Juss. ex Schultes against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Since the crude extract possessed antibacterial activity against the tested microbes, the microdilution method was adopted to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of A. lanata. Further, the A. lanata was investigated against colony forming ability of S. aureus and E. coli on polystyrene surfaces after treatment with different concentrations. The A. lanata coated catheter was also evaluated against S. aureus and E. coli in in vitro bladder model and the activity was observed as clear zone formation around the well. It was revealed that A. lanata effectively inhibited the colony-forming ability of S. aureus and E. coli up to the MIC level. The A. lanata showed a marked biofilm reduction after treatment. It was also evident that a catheter tube coated with an antibacterial agent is an excellent method to prevent biofilm formation. This suggested that methanolic crude extract of A. lanata can be an alternative antibacterial agent for S. aureus and E. coli.