Abstract:
Wound is a disruption of the normal continuity of body structures by physical, chemical,
thermal, microbial and immunological factors. Skin wounds are among one of the commonest
health concerns that afflict working equine. Medicinal plants are traditionally used to treat
different human and livestock ailments among that it is used to treat equine skin wounds. They
have antimicrobial activities and effectiveness in controlling certain viral, bacterial and fungal
diseases. In study district, there was no study conducted on evaluation of antimicrobial activities
of traditionally used medicinal plants against common bacteria involved in wound infection.
This study was aimed to evaluate in-vitro antibacterial activity of crude methanolic extracts of
selected medicinal plants against isolated pathogens in Merti district. Agar well diffusion, disc
diffusion and broth dilution methods were used to determine the antibacterial activity of selected
medicinal plants. In present study, S. aureus was the most isolated bacteria from equine skin
wound and all the tested medicinal plants like Z. officinale, A. sativum, C. macrostachyus and S.
incanum were found to exhibit considerable antibacterial activity against S. aureus, P.
aeruginosa, E. coli and K. pneumoniae. By agar well diffusion method, A. sativum and C.
macrostachyus at 780 mg/ml concentration showed the highest zone of inhibition 28.9mm and
29.2mm, respectively against standard strains of S. aureus. By disc diffusion method, the extracts
of combined Allium-zinger, Allium-croton and zinger-croton at 780 mg/ml concentration showed
highest zone of inhibition 33.2mm, 33.2mm and 33.6mm, respectively on standard strain of
S.aureus. The result of the MIC revealed that extracts of tested medicinal ranged from
12.18mg/ml for A. sativum against standard S. aureus to 390mg/ml for S. incanum against
P.aeruginosa while MBC ranged from 24.38mg/ml for A. sativum against standard S. aureus to
>390mg/ml for S. incanum against both standard and clinically isolated K. pneumoniae and P.
aeruginosa. As conclusion, this study clearly indicates that all extracts of selected medicinal
plants have a potential of antibacterial effects against standard strains and clinically isolated
pathogens from skin wound of equine. Further study should be conducted on in-vivo antibacterial
to confirm the in-vitro antibacterial activities of crude extracts against tested isolates to elucidate
the safety of test plants on their use as treatments of equine skin wound
