Antimicrobial effects of azadrachita indica leaf extracts on escherichia coli isolated from infected diabetic wounds

The purpose of this work was to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of Azadirachta indica leaf extracts on Escherichia coli isolated from infected diabetic wound. Out of 50 swab samples of infected diabetic wounds, 30 isolates were obtained of which Escherichia coli made up 20% of the bacterial isolates from the wound. The phytochemical analysis of the leaf’s extracts showed the presence of saponin, flavonoids, steroid, alkaloids, tannins, cardiac glycoside, and phenol. The in vitro antimicrobial effect of the aqueous and ethanol leaf extracts was evaluated using the agar well diffusion method. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) of the leaf extracts were also determined. Results showed that the ethanol extract showed inhibitory effects at all concentrations used in this study, which were 125mg/ml (10.00mm), 250mg/ml (10.33mm), 500mg/ml (10.67mm) and 1000mg/ml (10.67mm) while the aqueous extract had no inhibitory effect on E. coli. The result of MIC was 500mg/ml and the MBC showed 1000mg/ml. The ethanol extracts possess antimicrobial activity against E. coli and the plants are readily available. There is need for more research on other plant with antimicrobial properties to help tackle the problem of antimicrobial resistance.