In Vitro Antibacterial Activity and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration of Zinc Oxide and Nano-particle Zinc oxide Against Pathogenic Strains

In the emerging issue of increased multi-resistant properties in food borne pathogens, zinc oxide (ZnO) and nano-particle zinc oxide (nano-ZnO) are being used increasingly as antimicrobial agents. Thus, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of nano-ZnO towards pathogens microbes Bacillus subtilus NRRL B-543, Bacillus megaterium ATCC 25848, Staphylococcus aureus; NRRL B-313, Sarcina lutea ATCC27853, Escherichia coli; NRRL B-210, Pseudomonas aeruginosa NRRL B23 27853, Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 27736, proteus vulgaris NRRL B-123, Candida albicans NRRL Y-477 and Aspergillus niger NRRL-3 were examined in this study. The results obtained suggested that nano-Zno exhibit a good bacteriostatic effect but poor bactericidal effect towards all pathogens tested. Nano-ZnO can be a potential antimicrobial agent due to its low cost of production and high effectiveness in antimicrobial properties, which may find wide applications in various industries to address safety issues.