Antibacterial and antibiotic potentiating capabilities of extracts from Cleistanthus bracteosus against human pathogenic bacteria: special focus on A. baumannii

Acinetobacter baumannii is a major cause of hospital-acquired infections in patients who are critically ill, frequently causing ventilator-associated pneumonia and bloodstream infection among others. It’s multidrug resistance, affects all systemic antimicrobials, including carbapenems and even polymyxins. This study is aimed at harnessing the antibiotic potentiator properties, meaning to find a plant compound that enhances the capability of antibiotic of choice in the treatment of A. baumannii. Different plant part extracts of Cleistanthus bracteosus, were tested against clinical samples of multi-drug resistant (MDR), A. baumannii. Disk diffusion, Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC), Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC), Time-Kill assay, followed by investigation into the synergistic activities of the extracts with the antibiotic in use against A. baumannii. Overall, the leaf methanol, leaf hexane and bark methanol extract of C. bracteosus were found to have activity against A.baumannii and warrants further investigation such as compound isolation and mechanism of action for validating its therapeutic use as antibiotic potentiator importantly against A. baumannii.