3. Antibacterial effect of Terminalia catappa on some selected pathogenic bacteria

Pathogenic organisms are responsible for the deaths of many people living in both rural and urban areas. However, series of commercial antibiotics have proved ineffective in cure of many of these diseases. Curing of disease(s) is important in health care system and trial of alternative medicine is important in this for good health care delivery. Water extract of the leaf of Terminalia catappa at different stages (young, matured and old red pigmented) were studied on some selected pathogenic bacteria species In-Vitro. The leaf extracts at their different stages of maturity, exhibited therapeutic effect on the test organisms. However, the old (red pigmented) leaf extract (C) had inhibitory affinity on the tested organisms with halo ranging between 5mm-10mm in diameter, different from the matured leaf extract (B) that ranged in inhibitory halo of between 10.6mm-18.5 mm. The young leaf extract (A) of Terminalia catappa indeed showed the highest inhibitory effect on the test organisms with halos between 10.2- 20.6 mm. Bacillus cereus and Shigella dysenteriae were most inhibited with this extract (20.6 mm) while Escherichia coli was the least inhibited (10.2 mm). MIC was effective by the young leaf extract at 100-145mg/mL, the matured leaf at 130-145mg/mL and the old red leaf extract at 130-350mg/mL on the test organisms. The MBC of the young leaf extract was effective at 100-145mg/mL, the matured leaf extract at 130-160mg/mL and the old red leaf extract at 145-300mg/mL on the test organisms. The antibacterial potency of Terminalia catappa is determined so that nutritional and medicinal properties could be exploited judiciously. The results confirm the effective use of this plant in medicine, food system and pharmacy.