8948 10.30848/PJB2022-5(35) <p> Antibacterial activity of ethanolic plant extracts on multidrug resistant <em>Acinetobacter baumannii</em> clinical isolates</p> Qurat Ul Ain, Sadaf Naeem and Asma Naim <p style="margin-left:.25in;"> <em>Acinetobacter baumannii</em> is one of the most important human pathogen frequently recovered from different clinical samples and responsible for nosocomial infections. <em>A. baumannii</em> contains a repertoire of antibiotic resistance mechanisms including drug modification enzymes, alteration of target sites, efflux pumps and others. There are increasing reports of infections caused by MDR <em>A. baumannii</em>, which limits the availability of suitable antibiotics. The present study evaluates the Anti-<em>Acinetobacter</em> activity of different plant extracts. The ethanolic extract of 10 different plant materials was screened by agar-well diffusion method and the minimal inhibitory concentration was also determined using broth-macrodilution technique against 15 clinical MDR <em>A. baumannii</em> isolates. Our results show that the ethanolic extract of <em>Piper betle L.</em> (Betel leaf) has a very strong anti-bacterial activity against MDR <em>Acinetobacter baumannii</em> strains, producing a mean zone of inhibition of 31.33 mm&plusmn;1.799 and MIC₉₀of 16 &micro;g/ml. The ethanolic extract of garlic also exhibited considerable effect against few isolates, producing zone of inhibition ranges from 9-13 mm and the MIC₉₀ was 32 &micro;g/ml. However, the ethanolic extract of the remaining plant materials did not show any antibacterial activity against the tested strains. These results suggest that ethanolic extract of <em>Piper betle</em> L. leaf can be a suitable alternative or adjunct for the treatment of MDR <em>A. baumannii</em> infections.</p> <p> &nbsp;</p> Published 2022 54 5 1977 1980