title: Inhibition of the emergence of multi drug resistant Staphylococcus aureus by Withania somnifera root extracts.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To search systematically for an alternative therapy with compounds particularly from plant origin.
  
  
  METHODS
  Efficacy test of different root extracts of Withania somnifera (W. somnifera) (L) Dunal against multi drug resistant (MDR) Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) variants was performed following the agar well diffusion method. Evaluation of susceptibility pattern of the isolates was carried out by employing disk diffusion method using standard antibiotic disks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In vitro study with W. somnifera root extracts was found to be effective against all the MDR S. aureus strains isolated from local and patient sources. Different root extracts of WS showed different degree of effectiveness against the isolates.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The major active principles responsible for the antibacterial efficacy were mainly present in methanol (MeOH)extract and ethanol (EtOH) extracts as well as in butanol (BuOH) extract fraction. Amongst all the extracts the BuOH fraction was found to be most active against all the isolates but aqueous extract was the least active one. Finally it may be concluded that the antimicrobials from W. somnifera may raise an alternative therapy for MDR staphylococcal infections in near future.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, School of Tropical Medicine, Kolkata-700 073, India.
authors.forename: Shuvo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Datta
authors.forename: Nishith Kumar
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Kumar Pal
authors.forename: Ashoke Kumar
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Nandy
mesh_terms: D018432:Drug Resistance, Multiple / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000737:chemistry*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects*; D032341:Withania / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts