DOI: 10.36347/sajb.2019.v07i11.008

Pages: 429-434

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a rhizome or root of the plant which is mostly used as a spice or a folk medicine. The study was aimed at determining the antibacterial property, phytochemical screening as well as the Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimal Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) of methanolic extract of dried ginger powder, using the agar well diffusion method against seven clinical bacterial isolates: K. pneumonia, S. pyogenes, S. typhi, S. paratyphi A, S. paratyphi B, S. paratyphi C and S. pneumonia. The antibacterial screening of the extract showed a moderate zones of inhibition in all the tested organisms at different concentration (80mg/ml, 160mg/ml and 200mg/ml except K. pneumonia which was resistance to all the concentration that was used. However, higher diameter of zone of inhibition was recorded at high concentration (200mg/ml) with zones of inhibition ranging from 15.00±1.00mm in S. pyogenes, and 9.00±0.00 mm in S. pneumoniae. While lower zones of inhibition were recorded at 80 and 160mg/ml in all the organisms from 6.50±0.50mm in S. paratyphi A to 13.00±0.00mm in S. pyogenes. The Qualitative phytochemical screening of the methanolic extract, revealed the presence of nine different phytochemicals which include alkaloid, flavonoids, saponins, cardiac glycosides, anthraquinons, sterols, phlobatanins and terpenes, whereas the Quantitative phytochemical estimation of the extract revealed an appreciable amount of phenols, flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids and saponins at a concentration of 1371.405±206.551, 564.223±35.556, 386.925±5.058, 273.540±0.857 and 104.325±1.042 respectively. The results of this study revealed that the bacterial isolate used in the study exhibited different sensitivities towards methanolic extract of ginger. Thus, ginger which normally forms part of ingredients in food could provide protection against some infections caused by these pathogenic bacteria.