Study on the antibacterial effect of crab shell extract on klebsiella pneumoniae and proteus mirabilis

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine the antibacterial effect of crab shell extract on Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus mirabilis. K. pneumoniae and P. mirabilis were isolated from urine and wound specimen and characterized using standard laboratory methods. Antibacterial susceptibility testing using crab shell extract showed that only K. pneumoniae were sensitive while P. mirabilis were resistant. Isolates of K. pneumoniae had varied minimal inhibitory concentration, with isolates Kp1 and Kp3 having 12.5μg/ml while isolates Kp2 had 6.25μg/ml. At a concentration of 200μg/ml of crab shell extract, the highest zone of inhibition of K. pneumoniae was 12mm. This figure is however low when compared with commonly used antibiotics which gave larger zones of inhibition at lower concentration.