Abstract:
There is need to look for nontoxic cheap alternative ways of fighting mutating and resistant
disease causing microbes especially in sub-Saharan region. This is because of the lower
average immune system strength due to bad feeding habits, high population and increase of
disease causing organisms which are exacerbating the HIV and AIDS menace. The use of
species to preserve, give flavour to food and to fight illnesses has been practiced in Africa
since the invasion of Asian populations in the coastal regions. In this study, we investigated
the potential of using common spices like Ginger (Zingiber officinale) and Chilli pepper
(Capsicum annuum) against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and staphylococcus
aureus which are common bacteria mostly found in contaminated food. This was done using the
Kirby Bauer diffusion method. Ginger and chili pepper were found to inhibit the growth of the
tested bacteria especially staphylococcus aureus through comparing the diameter of inhibition
zones. The results indicated that extracts of ginger and chilli pepper had antibacterial activity in the
range of 15-33mm. E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus were more affected by the extracts than
Pseudomonas aeruginosa. However, a mixture of the two extracts produced a greater antibacterial
activity than the individual extracts with p values nearing 0.05. Therefore, the extracts displayed an
antimicrobial activity with greater efficacy when acting synergistically on the test organisms.
Therefore, the potential of using the combination as a naturopathy is still high despite the perceived
microbial resistance after a long time of usage in human populations.
