ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITIES OF PLEUROTUS STREATUS AND PLEUROTUS DJAMOR AGAINST SELECTED BACTERIAL PATHOGENS

Abstract

Mushrooms are the fruit bodies of macrofungal and it is consumed as food by many people across the world. The cultivation of mushrooms is on the increase as it now attracts many consumers because of its medicinal properties apart from their well known nutritional benefits. This study was aimed to determine the antibacterial activities of Pleurotus ostreatus and Pleurotus djamor against some bacterial pathogens. Mushroom culture of Pleurotus ostreatus and Pleurotus djamor were collected from Myco-Farms Ltd, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria while Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus isolates were obtained from Microbiology Department, Federal University of Technology, Owerri. Hot water and Whatman disk filter method was used to get extract from Pleurotus ostreatus and Pleurotus djamor . Antibacterial assay was determined using Mueller Hinton agar after 24H of incubation at 37⁰C.  The results revealed that P. ostreatus zone of inhibitions measured 1.83±0.15 cm, 1.70±0.10 cm and 0.93±0.15 for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus respectively at a concentration of 100mg/ml of the extract. While the extract of Pleurotus djamor had inhibition zone of 2.33±0.57cm, 1.93±0.15cm and 0.8±0.10cm for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus respectively. The levels of antibacterial activities of these species of mushrooms showed a significant difference (P<0.05) and a possible  therapeutic potentials that could be used against common bacterial infections of man. Hence, Pharmacological and research institutions should consider P. ostreatus and P djamor as a therapeutic source for drug production.