Antibacterial Effect of Apis Mellifera Bees Honey, Garlic Extracts and Their Combination Against Salmonella in Wolayta Sodo, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

The use of medicinal plants and preparations for different activities to treat infections is an age-old practice. Interest in plants with antimicrobial properties has come to use again because of the emergence of resistance strains of microorganisms against antimicrobials. Antibiotic resistant salmonella infections in both humans and animals are universal concerns, particularly in developing countries where the risk of infection is high. Garlic has been used for centuries by various societies around the world to combat various pathogens. Honey has proven antimicrobial activity as well. Honey inhibits a broad spectrum of bacterial species. But their use in modern medicine is limited because of a lack of scientific support. An experimental study design was used with the objective of testing honey and garlic aqueous extracts for their antibacterial activity against salmonella. The test microorganism Salmonella was isolated in the Wolaita Sodo regional laboratory from the feces of diarrheal calves. The extracts used were prepared at three concentrations, namely 100g, 50g, 25g in 100 ml of distilled water, and in vitro antibacterial activity was assessed against Salmonella bacteria. For this assessment, a filter paper disc diffusion assay was used. The antibacterial activities of the extracts were expressed as the mean inhibition of salmonella growth. According to the current investigation in all concentrations, tested honey has performed very well than garlic and their combination, but it has highly significantly different mean inhibition than garlic extract and the combination of garlic and honey at 100g concentration with a maximum zone of inhibition of 26.33 ± 0.577mm. The present study reveals the possibility of using honey, garlic, and their combination to treat disease caused by salmonella. Therefore, further studies should be conducted on the antibacterial and other medicinal values of honey and garlic using in vitro and in vivo studies to see how they may contribute to solving the problems of drug resistance.