Plasmid Curing Activity of Four Plant Extracts on Multiple Resistant Plasmid Bearing Klebsiella Pnumoniae Strains

Background: Antibiotic resistance is a problem around the world.Some bacteria are resistant to these medicines.Medicinal plants and derivatives are good source for therapy of these diseases. Objective: The curing of four medicinal plant extracts (Thymus caramanicus (T.c), Dracocephalum polychaetum (D.p), Adianthum capillus-veneris (A.c), Viola tricolor (V.t)) on plasmid bearing strains of klebsiella pneumoniae resistance to multiple antibiotics were investigated. Methods: Klebsiella pneumoniae resistance to multiple antibiotics were isolated from hospital infectious samples. Alcoholic and maceration extraction were carried out from leaves, flowers or roots of the above plants. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of each plant extract was measured. At the same time the sub inhibitory concentration (SIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) activity of each plant extract was carried out in order to cure plasmids from plasmid bearing strains. The sensitivity of the strains treated with SIC of each plant extracts to ampicillin, amoxicillin, cefotaxime, ceftizoxime, vancomycin has been measured. The morphological changes and capsule staining of klebsiella pneumoniae has been investigated with fluorescent microscope. Results: Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of each plant extract indicated that all of them have anti microbial activity and were able to inhibit the growth of resistant strains of kleb. pneumoniae. Furthermore the T.c and A.c extract had highest anti microbial activity as compared to other plant extracts. Kleb. pneumoniae cells treated with T.c and A.c extract, the cells aggregated and change their morphology, similarly, production of capsule was also lost. In addition gram stain properties of bacteria has been changed. That is the high mutagenic properties of these plant extracts on gene or gene expression in capsule modulation. The agarose gel electrophoresis (0.7%) of the treated cells and untreated one and observation of the gel with U.V. gel documentation system indicated that there were any physical loss of plasmid band on the gel. Conclusions: From above data it could be concluded that the above plants extract though they have antibacterial activity they didnchr('39')t exert any curing effect on the plasmid bearing microorganisms, but antibacterial effects of T. c and A. c extracts are considerable.