Comparative evaluation of inhibitory activity of Epiphgram from albino and normal skinned giant African land snail (Archachatina marginata) against selected bacteria isolates

A study was conducted on evaluation of inhibitory activity of epiphgram from albino and normal skinned giant African land snail (Archachatina marginata). After aestivation, epiphgram were collected from twenty snails (10, albino and 10 normal skinned). The epiphgram were washed, air dried and ground into powder form. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of epiphgram from both albino and normal skinned species were determined by standard broth micro-dilution method using four (4) clinical bacteria Isolates which include: Eschericia coli, Pasteurella species, Salmonella species and Staphylococcus aureus. Ciproflaxacin antibiotic was used as control. Result showed that epiphgram from both albino and normal skinned snails had higher microbial activity for both Eschericia coli and Salmonella species as shown by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC: 0.050 and 0.098 vs 0.098 and 0.049) compared to streptomycin (MIC: 78 and 1.95 vs 15.63 and 1.95) which is the control. However, normal skinned epiphgram had higher antimicrobial activity considering the MIC values for Salmonella species, Staphylococcus aureus and Pasteurella species. While MIC value recorded for Eschericia coli showed that albino snail epiphgram had higher antimicrobial activity in the elimination of this bacteria species better than the normal skinned. It can be concluded from this study that substance which eliminate bacteria especially the four bacteria isolates used in this study are present in the epiphgram of both normal and albino snails in varying proportion with the highest amount present in normal skinned snail’s epiphgram except for Eschericia coli. Keyword: Albino snail, Archachatina marginata, Inhibitory activity, Epiphgram, Bacteria isolate