The Antimicrobial activity of Jatropha Curcas seeds extracts against Staphylococcus Aureus and Escherichia Coli

Author

Mutsetse, Mercy

Title

The Antimicrobial activity of Jatropha Curcas seeds extracts against Staphylococcus Aureus and Escherichia Coli

Abstract

The emergence of foodborne bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics presents a serious threat to food safety and human health. This study used the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method in triplicate to assess the antibacterial activity of ethanol extracts from Jatropha curcas seeds collected in Banket, Mashonaland West District, against two significant foodborne pathogens, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Due to the serious health dangers posed by these bacteria worldwide, particularly the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains, natural alternatives are essential. The extracts were examined at 100 and 200 mg/mL concentrations. Clear concentration-dependent suppression of bacterial growth was demonstrated by the results. The inhibition zones against E. coli varied from 9 to 20 mm, with mean zones of 18.67 ± 1.53 mm at 200 mg/mL and 12.00 ± 3.00 mm at 100 mg/mL. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) was 6.67 mg/ml. Inhibition zones for S. aureus varied from 6 to 11 mm, with mean zones of 8.00 ± 2.00 mm at 100 mg/mL and 10.00 ± 1.00 mm at 200 mg/mL. The MIC was 10 mg/mL. These findings suggest that antibacterial activity is stronger against Gram-negative E. coli than Gram-positive S. aureus. Statistical analysis with One-way ANOVA confirmed the significance of these findings. The p-value was less than 0.05 therefore the null hypothesis was rejected. This demonstrates that the antibacterial effects were due to bioactive chemicals rather than chance. While this work reveals the antibacterial activity of J. curcas seed extracts, more research is needed to identify whether the reported effects are bacteriostatic, suppressing bacterial growth, or bactericidal, resulting in bacterial death.

Date

June 2025

Publisher

BUSE

Keywords

Jatropha Curcas

Escherichia Coli

Antimicrobial Activity

Staphylococcus Aureus

Supervisor

Mr. P. Munosiyei