Antibacterial activity of curcumin against Lebanese clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract

The speed of emergence of resistance to newly introduced antimicrobial agents, by strains of common pathogens, has necessitated the search for newer medications. The use of medicinal plants and their extracts has become popular and promising. The methanol extract from Curcuma longa, a plant that has long been used by villagers, who noted its therapeutic properties, was tested, in this study, for its antibacterial activity against local, multiresistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus. The disc agar and well agar diffusion methods showed that the plant extract was able to inhibit the growth of the tested strains at different concentrations, revealing the genetic diversity of these strains. The emergence of resistant strains to the extract during the experiments, demonstrated the “drug fast” characteristic of the organism. Further studies are needed to conclude whether an active compound in the extract can be used in developing a new antibacterial agent.