ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY AND RESISTANCE PROFILES OF AZADIRACHTA INDICA AND CALOTROPIS PROCERA ALONGSIDE MULTIDRUG-RESISTANT BACTERIA

This study investigates the antibacterial activity and genotypic resistance profiles of methanol and n-hexane leaf extracts of Azadirachta indica and Calotropis procera against several multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria, including Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enterica, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Aeromonas hydrophila. Antibacterial efficacy was evaluated using the agar well diffusion method, while the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) were determined via serial dilution. The results revealed that C. procera exhibited significant antibacterial activity, particularly against P. mirabilis and K. pneumoniae, with methanol extracts demonstrating bactericidal effects. A. indica also showed promising activity, especially against P. mirabilis and S. enterica, with methanol extracts being more effective than n-hexane extracts. Genotypic analysis via PCR revealed the presence of resistance genes, including blaNDM-1, blaSHV, and blaTEM, which encode carbapenemases in the tested bacterial strains. These findings highlight the potential of C. procera and A. indica as sources of antibacterial agents against resistant pathogens, emphasizing the need for further clinical studies to validate their therapeutic applications.