Antimicrobial properties of Vernonia amygdalina on Escherichia coli and Proteus species isolated from urine samples: Potential antimicrobial alternative for urinary tract infection

Vernonia amygdalina is a member of the Asteraceae family and a shrub of 2-3m tall with a petiole leaf of about 6mm wide and naturally distributed in many parts of West Africa. It is reported to have several health benefits including antimicrobial efficacy. The study assessed the antimicrobial effects of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Vernonia amygdalina on clinical isolates of Escherichia coli and Proteus spp. Of the 41 urine samples collected included in this research, 21 clinical samples (urine) were collected from Kwararafa Hospital Wukari while the remaining 20 samples were taken from students of Federal University Wukari. Standard microbiological techniques were employed in this investigation. Extracts of the leaves were made using Ethanol and aqueous procedures. The antimicrobial activity of the extracts was tested using pathogenic isolates of Proteus species and Escherichia coli. It was observed that Escherichia coli were susceptible to both extracts of the leaf in high concentrations. The aqueous extract of the leaf shows moderate growth on the Proteus species but the ethanolic extract of the leaf presented significant antimicrobial activity on Proteus spp. This study has revealed greatly that extracts of Vernonia amygdalina in high concentration possess strong antimicrobial activities against the tested clinical isolates Proteus species and Escherichia coli with ethanolic extract of the leaves exhibiting greater antimicrobial significance against the tested clinical isolates compared to aqueous extracts of the leaves.