A comparative study of antimicrobial properties of pure crude extracts of piper nigrum (black pepper) seed and abelmoschus esculentus (okra) fruit on agar culture of methicillin resistant stephylococcus aureus and klebsiella pneumoniae

The study aimed to compare the antimicrobial properties of pure crude extracts of piper nignum (Black Pepper) seed and Abelmoschus esculentus (okra) fruit on agar culture of methicillin resistant staphyloccous aureus and Kiebsiella pneumoniae. The crude extracts were obtained trhough extraction using ethanol and were tested against cultures of methicillin resistant staphyloccocous aureus (MRSA) and Kiebsiella pneumoniae using blank discs with distilled water as a negative control and vancomycin and gentamycin respectively for the positive controls. The respective zones of inhibition were analyzed to assess the differences in efficacy. The mean inhibition of okra against MPSA was higher than the negative control mean while also being significantly lower than that of vancomycin. Okra was not able to produce a significant zone of inhibition against Kiebsiella pneumoniae. Meanwhile, black pepper was not able to produce a significant zone of inhibition againts either pathogen. Certain phytochemicals in okra may prove to be a good candidate in the treatment of MRSA as it proved to show modest antibacterial activity on the organism. However, okra\u27s antimicrobial chemicals may be more concentrated in its seeds as it was unable to have an effect on Kiebsiella pneumoniae, gram-positive organism despite findings in other literature