Antibacterial activity of Rafflesia kerrii Meijer extracts against hospital isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

Abstract

 Rafflesia kerrii Meijer has been used as a traditional medicine for treatment of many diseases and for prolonging life. However, there has been little evidence to support the pharmacological effect. This study, therefore, aims to evaluate the antibacterial activity of R. kerrii Meijer crude extract from three different parts, i.e., perigone lobe, central disk and process to against six S. aureus strains include S. aureus ATCC 25923 andfive clinical isolates of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) from hospital. The antibacterial activity was determined using disc diffusion and broth microdilution methods. The results showed that all three part extracts from R. kerrii Meijer exhibited potent antibacterial activity against to S. aureus ATCC 25923 and five clinical isolates of MRSA from hospital. The perigone lobe extract exhibited the best antibacterial effect on S. aureus ATCC 25923 and the MRSA clinical isolate no. 1, 2, 3 and 5 followed by the central disk extract with MIC of 5 and 10 mg/ml, respectively. However, the extracts had no bactericidal effect on all tested bacteria, suggesting that the extracts had more inhibitory properties than killing activity. The results reveal that R. kerrii Meijer crude extracts show interestingly pharmacologic benefits for the development of a new alternative medicine.