Crinum jagus
plant has been reportedly used for treatment of infectious diseases in Nigeria. In this study, the antibacterial activity of the crude extract and chromatographic fractions from the bulb of
Crinium jagus against
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
isolates was investigated using Lowenstein-Jensen medium (LJ) and Middlebrook 7H10 agar. Colony forming unit (cfu) was determined and percentage inhibition calculated by mean reduction in number of colonies on extract containing medium as compared to extract free control medium. The highest inhibition rate of 59% representing 56 cfu was observed for
M. tuberculosis isolate 3 in Middlebrook 7H10 medium while similar rate of 57% was obtained on LJ medium. Fraction F3 showed 86% inhibition activity at 1.0mg/ml concentration in Middlebrook 7H10 agar compared with fractions F4 and F5 which showed 63% and 73% inhibition rates respectively. Even though, higher inhibition rates were observed with Middlebrook 7H10 agar as compared with LJ medium the difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05). The results support the folkloric use of
Crinum jagus in the treatment of microbial infections and suggest that the plant may be beneficial in the treatment of tuberculosis.
