Abstract
Antibiotic resistance, which is emerging among pathogenic bacteria, is a leading cause of treatment failure worldwide with particular reference to developing countries. Thus, there is a need to explore and discover novel antimicrobial agents. The objective of this study was to investigate antibacterial activity of spider web metabolites and characterize certain antibacterial compounds. Web solvent extract (methanol, ethanol and acetone) was biologically screened for antibacterial activity against seven multiple drug resistant bacteria including three Gram negative bacteria (E. coli, A. baumannii, and S. typhi) and four gram positive bacteria (S. aureus, Bacillus, E. faecalis and S. pneumonae) using well diffusion test. Solvent extracts with the concentrations of (3.3 mg/ml 4.95 mg/ml 6.6 mg/ml 8.25 mg/ml 9.9 mg/ml and 11.55 mg/ml) were used to check the efficiency against MDR bacteria. Solvent extract of web metabolites exhibited significant activity against all seven MDR bacteria, by producing clear growth inhibition zones ranging in diameter from 04 to 22 mm. Considerable activities was exhibited against E. faecalis (22 mm), E. coli (14 mm) and S. typhi (15 mm). Acetone solvent extracts showed high antibacterial activity against most MDR bacteria. Solvent extracts with concentrations less than 5 mg/ml did not exhibit sufficient activity. Higher activities were related to concentrations higher than 6 mg/ml. Findings of the current study indicated that spider web metabolites may show promising antimicrobial activity against MDR bacteria. Additionally, the results suggest that spider web may be a broad spectrum antimicrobial agent, wherein its individual constituents contribute to its antimicrobial activity.