Antibacterial Effect of Vernonia Amygdalina and Ocimum Gratissimum on Some Bacteria that Cause Opportunistic Infections in HIV/AIDS Patients

Antibacterial effect of Vernonia amygdalina (Bitter leaf) and Ocimum gratissimum (Scent leaf) on Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa that cause opportunistic infections in HIV/AIDS patients was studied. The extract of Ocimum gratissimum had higher antibacterial effect, though not significant (P>0.05), on the bacterial isolates than the extract of Vernonia amygdalina. The Ocimum gratissimum extract had higher quantity of phytonutrients (alkaloid, steroid, tannin and flavonoid) than the extract of Vernonia amygdalina. Susceptibility of the bacterial isolates was in the order Escherichia coli > Pseudomonas aeruginosa > Staphylococcus aureus to the Ocimum gratissimum and Vernonia amygdalina extracts at concentrations 30 mg/ml to 150 mg/ml. At concentration of 30 mg/ ml, the Vernonia amygdalina extract was not inhibitory to S. aureus and P. aeruginosa. However, the extract of Ocimum gratissimum inhibited all the test organisms with higher diameter of the zones of inhibition. The use of Ocimum gratissimum extract could help reduce the effect and complications of opportunistic infections caused by E. coli, S. aureus and P. aeruginosa in HIV/AIDS patients. Keywords: Antibacterial, Vernonia amygdalina, Ocimum gratissimum, opportunistic infections, HIV/AIDS patients