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The worsening of antibiotic resistance is a multifactorial process. One aspect of this is the counterfeiting of antibiotic medications. This is supposed to be particularly high in developing countries, including Nigeria. Therefore, the potency of some antibiotic drugs dispensed in community pharmacies in Gwale, Kano, Nigeria, was investigated in this case study. Three products, each from different manufacturers, with the active ingredients of ceftriaxone, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, and metronidazole, respectively, were included in this study. By means of a disc-diffusion assay, the effect against the typed strains Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923) and Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) as well as Clostridium tetani isolated from soil was tested. Clinical isolates of S. aureus and E. coli were also used. While antibiotics, with the exception of ciprofloxacin-containing preparations against C. tetani, showed acceptable efficacy against the typed strains by comparison with the clinical science laboratory references, a predominant failure was observed with the clinical isolates. Thus, the investigated drug preparations can be considered of acceptable quality for the treatment of susceptible bacterial infections. This excludes counterfeits in the sampled preparations. However, the insufficient efficacy against clinical isolates further documents the severity of nosocomial bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The metabolites present in the crude methanolic extract of Leucas biflora were identified and characterized to obtain new leads for compounds with antibacterial effects. The plant extract showed antibacterial effects against both the gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria in disc-diffusion assay. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) results revealed nine types of high and low molecular weight chemical entities with varying quantities in the extract. An in silico target-fishing approach identified two compounds with multi-target-directed activities. Two metabolites, 3-Oxo-18-Nor-ent-ros-4-ene-15.alpha.,16-acetonide and 4-Dehydroxy-N-(4,5-methylenedioxy-2-nitrobenzylidene)-tyramine, inhibited two promising bacterial targets, FabH and DNA gyrase B. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The worsening of antibiotic resistance is a multifactorial process. One aspect of this is the counterfeiting of antibiotic medications. This is supposed to be particularly high in developing countries, including Nigeria. Therefore, the potency of some antibiotic drugs dispensed in community pharmacies in Gwale, Kano, Nigeria, was investigated in this case study. Three products, each from different manufacturers, with the active ingredients of ceftriaxone, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, and metronidazole, respectively, were included in this study. By means of a disc-diffusion assay, the effect against the typed strains Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923) and Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) as well as Clostridium tetani isolated from soil was tested. Clinical isolates of S. aureus and E. coli were also used. While antibiotics, with the exception of ciprofloxacin-containing preparations against C. tetani, showed acceptable efficacy against the typed strains by comparison with the clinical science laboratory references, a predominant failure was observed with the clinical isolates. Thus, the investigated drug preparations can be considered of acceptable quality for the treatment of susceptible bacterial infections. This excludes counterfeits in the sampled preparations. However, the insufficient efficacy against clinical isolates further documents the severity of nosocomial bacteria.

Currently, the use of 'green' synthesised nanoparticles with environmentally friendly properties is considered a novel therapeutic approach in medicine. Here, the authors evaluated gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) conjugated with Tragopogon dubius leaf extract and their antibacterial activity in vitro and in vivo. Colour changes from yellow to dark brown and a peak at 560 nm on ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy confirmed the formation of nanoparticles. Additionally, transmission electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analyses were performed to determine particle sizes and functional groups involved in gold reduction. Moreover, using standard micro‐dilution and disc‐diffusion assays against Klebsiella pneumoniae, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus, the antimicrobial properties of synthesised AuNPs were investigated. To confirm antibacterial activity, synthesised AuNPs were applied in a rat model on burn wounds infected with S. aureus, and the nanoparticles were as effective as tetracycline in bacterial reduction and wound healing. In conclusion, the synthesis of AuNPs with aqueous T. dubius extract was rapid, simple, and inexpensive, and the synthesised nanoparticles had significant antibacterial activity in vitro and in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: Sponges (phylum Porifera) are sessile marine invertebrates and are known to be the richest source of pharmacologically-active compounds. This work was taken to investigate the antibacterial, antifungal activity and cytotoxicity from marine sponge. Method: In this study the marine sponge Spongosorites halichondrioides crude extracts were investigated for three bioassays. The first is an antimicrobial test against Proteus vulgaris, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, Klebsiella pneumonia, Escherichia coli, P. aeruginosa and the second is an antifungal test against three pathogenic fungi, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger and Metarhizium anisopliae. The third is a cytotoxicity test using larva of Artemia salina, for detection of cytotoxic activity in the extracts. Result: For all the three bioassays, extracts were found to be bioactive. This result suggests that this marine sponge is able to produce biologically active agents required for an overall defense against their predators. Conclusions: Further GC MS was done and the fragmentation pattern, showed the presence of sterol esters and terpenoids in the active extracts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]