Evaluation of Antibacterial Effects of Newbouldia laevis and Dracaena arborea Methanol Extracts against Some Multidrug Resistant ‘ESKAPE’ Pathogens Isolated from Hospital Environments

Some multidrug-resistant bacteria particularly Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacterspp (ESKAPE pathogens) are associated with nosocomial infections. This study investigated the antibacterial activities of Newbouldia laevis and Dracaena arborea against some ESKAPE pathogens isolated from hospital environments. One hundred and twenty-five (125) samples were collected from wounds, urine, and hospital beds from Bishop Shanahan Hospital Nsukka. Ethical clearance was obtained before the collection of samples. Bacteria were isolated and characterized using appropriate microbiological and biochemical techniques. Plants methanol extracts were prepared using standard method. Antibiotic sensitivity testing was done using the Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method following Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines 2024. Multi-drug resistant isolates were randomly selected for plant extract sensitivity testing. Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumonia isolates had a prevalence of 75%, 83.3%, and 78.6% respectively. Multiple antibiotic resistance indices (MARI) of the isolates showed mostly high values (0.5-1.0). Newbouldia laevis methanol extract showed varying degrees of antibacterial activity on most of the isolates at different concentrations (50, 100, 200, and 400 mg/mL). However, following the CLSI standard, only 100 mg/mL of the extract produced significant inhibition (≥ 11.0 mm) on 3/8 and 3/7 of S. aureus and P. aeruginosa susceptible isolates respectively; no inhibition was observed for K. pneumoniae. Dracaenaarborea had no activity against any of the isolates. These results buttress the need for the use of Newbouldia laevis extract as a promising alternative against antibiotic-resistant ESKAPE pathogens.