Antimicrobial Activity Of Some Selected Edible Mushrooms:- Uzoeto, Henrietta O

ABSTRACT

The antimicrobial properties of ethanol, aqueous, hot and cold extracts of some mushroom species (Russula vesca, Auricularia auricular, Pleurotus squarrosulus and Volvariaella vulvae) on some Gram negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis and Salmonella typhi), Gram positive bacteria (Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae) and Candida albicans were investigated. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MIC) was evaluated for each ofthe mushrooms. Antimicrobial activity was performed using agar disc and agar well diffusion methods. The hot and cold water extracts ofR. vesca inhibited growth ofE. coli, S. typhi, P. mirabilis and C. albicans. Ethanol extracts ofA. auricular showed wide spectrum of antimicrobial effect against the organisms except S. typhi and P. aeruginosa. P. squarrosulus showed antimicrobial activity against K. pneumoniae (6.14mm), S. pneumoniae (5.12mm), and C. albicans. (4.10mm). P. aeruginosa was resistant to all the four species of mushroom except the hot water extract ofP. squarrosulus which showed zone ofinhibition (3.41mm). V. vulvae showed antimicrobial activity against S. typhi (4.60mm). Ethanol and hot water extracts ofmost ofthe mushroom species contained more bioactive substance than cold water extract. The significance of antimicrobial activity of mushroom extracts was compared with the standard antibiotics (gentamicin, 5pg/disc) using chi — square. There were significant difference between the mean zone of inhibition of the ethanol extract of P. squarrosulus and the standard antibiotic against test organisms at 5% level of significance. The results obtained in this study suggest that P. squarrosulus possessed broad-spectrum of activity against microbial isolates used.