Antibacterial effect of ethanolic fraction of Medicago sativa extract on Escherichia coli in urinary tract infection

Introduction and Aim: Uropathogenic E. coli infections of the urinary system have grown to be a serious global public health issue. Medicago Sativa has been reported to have antibacterial effects against a variety of harmful microorganisms. Hence, the aim of this study was to investigate M. sativa's potential antibacterial effectiveness against Escherichia coli isolated from urine samples in urinary tract infection patients visiting Medical city hospitals in Iraq/Baghdad.   Material and Methods: During this study, urine samples were collected from 85 patients visiting various hospitals in Iraq, from December 2021 to May 2022. A semi-quantitative culture technique and a conventional microbiological approach was used to identify Escherichia coli in the urine samples.  E.coli isolates were assessed for their antibiotic susceptibility using the Kirby-Bauer Disk diffusion method. The crude Medicago sativa plant extract was screened for its phytochemical constituents. Various ethanol fraction concentrations (25 mg/ml, 50 mg/ml, and 75 mg/ml) were tested for their inhibitory activity of uropathogenic E. coli.   Results: Only 30 out of the 85 urine samples tested positive for uropathogenic E. coli. Among patients, UTI infection with E.coli was seen to be more prevalent in females than in males. The Medicago sativa extracts demonstrated considerable antibiotic activity against E. coli with a MIC of 25 mg/ml for ethanolic fraction.   Conclusion: Based on this present study we conclude that Medicago sativa extracts have great potential as an antimicrobial agent against uropathogenic E. coli.