PROPOLIS AS AN ANTIBACTERIAL AGENT AGAINST CLINICAL ISOLATES OF MDR-ACINETOBACTER BAUMANNII.

BACKGROUND: Multidrug resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as an important health care problem. The organism is now identified as an important nosocomial pathogen particularly in the intensive care settings. The therapeutic options to treat this pathogen are limited; thus it needs testing for alternatives, like those of plant origin or natural products. Propolis is one of such products which have been tested against this organism.

METHODS: A. baumannii (n=32) were collected from Fatima Memorial Hospital, Lahore. The isolates were identified on the basis of their morphology, cultural characteristics and biochemical profile. The susceptibility of the isolates to various antimicrobials was evaluated as per Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method according to (CLSI 2010). An ethanolic extract of propolis was prepared by the ultrasonic extraction method and its antibacterial activity was evaluated by the agar well diffusion technique. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was also determined by the agar dilution technique.

RESULTS: The isolates were found to be resistant to most of the commonly used anti-acinetobacter antimicrobials; doxycycline however was the exception. Propolis from Sargodha (EPS) and Lahore (EPL) showed zones of inhibition of 21.8 +/- .29 mm and 15.66 +/- 2.18 mm respectively. MIC ranges of EPS and EPL similarly was from 1.5-2.0 mg/ml and 4.0-4.5 mg/ml respectively.

CONCLUSION: It is clear that EPS has potential edge of activity as compared to EPL. Nevertheless the potential efficacy of propolis must be subjected to pharmaceutical kinetics and dynamics to precisely determine its potential antimicrobial usefulness.