IMCC Journal of Science

Abstract: 

Urinary tract infection (UTI) has become a serious health concern due to the increasing multidrug resistance of infecting Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In view of this problem, the present study focused on the isolation of multidrug-resistant (MDR) UTI pathogens and evaluated selected herbal extracts for their potential anti-UTI activity. UTI-causing organisms were isolated from patients with UTI and tested for their multidrug resistance profiles. Based on the resistance pattern, the most resistant organism was selected for further analysis. The screened isolate was subjected to biochemical characterization and 16S rRNA sequencing. It was identified as Cronobacter sp. PP930636 after deposition of its 16S rRNA sequence in the NCBI database. In the second part of the study, two medicinal plants, Cinnamomum verum and Raphanus sativus, were selected for Soxhlet extraction using methanol and ethyl acetate as separate solvents. The results showed that the methanolic extract of C. verum exhibited the highest anti-UTI activity against the isolated MDR UTI pathogen, Cronobacter sp. PP930636, with a 15 mm zone of inhibition. The same extract also showed inhibitory activity against Escherichia coli with a 16 mm zone of inhibition, Pseudomonas sp. with 14 mm, and Staphylococcus sp. with 27 mm. The findings indicate that the isolated Cronobacter sp. PP930636 was resistant to nearly 23 antibiotics, highlighting its multidrug-resistant nature. Overall, the study suggests that the methanolic extract of C. verum may be effective against multidrug-resistant UTI pathogens, particularly Cronobacter sp. PP930636.

Keywords: antibiotics; Cronobacter sp., herbal extracts; UTI MDR