Antibacterial Potential of Chitosan on Pathogenic Gram Positive Cocci

Chitosan and its derivatives, which are known to possess multiple functional properties, have attracted considerable interest due to their biological activities and potential applications in the pharmaceutical, food, agricultural and environmental industries. Many researchers have focused on chitosan as a potential source of bioactive material in the past few decades. This study focuses on the antibacterial activity of chitosan against pathogenic Gram positive cocci isolated from various clinical samples and, comparing the antibiotic sensitivity pattern of chitosan using standard antibiotic discs. The inhibitory activity of chitosan was greater against Staphylococcus aureus than Coagulase negative staphylococcus and Enterococci. The antibacterial activity of chitosan against ATCC strain of Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923) at varying concentrations (100 - 400μg) was greater than standard antibiotics like Vancomycin and Amoxyclav commonly used against these pathogens. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration of chitosan (1%) for Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923) was 100μg. The bioactivity summarized here may provide novel insights into the functions of chitosan and potentially enable its use as a safe antimicrobial agent against clinical pathogens.