| Acinetobacter baumanni, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus aureus are all multiple drug resistant organisms (MDROs) that have the potential to cause serious injury and in many cases death. This is especially true in the military population where open battle wounds and the environment collide presenting the perfect opportunity for pathogenic organisms to enter a host and thrive. With the current antibiotics becoming obsolete, it is necessary to determine novel ways of inhibiting or killing these harmful pathogens. This study observed 52 plant extracts for antimicrobial ability against all of the aforementioned organisms. The results indicate that 65.4% of the 52 plant extracts showed inhibition of at least one of the organisms. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) have been determined for each extract and minimum lethal concentrations (MLC) have been determined where possible. These results prove that the plant extracts studied may be wonderful reservoirs for pursuing additional research into their antimicrobial capabilities. Further investigation is needed to determine what compounds these plants contain, their abilities to inhibit MDROs in vitro, elucidation of a potential mechanism of action, and their usefulness in vivo before they can be distributed to the front lines to aid our military in the ongoing battle against harmful pathogens. |
