In-vitro antibacterial sensitivity of Usnea barbata lichen extracted with methanol and ethyl-acetate against selected Staphylococcus species from milk of cows with mastitis

Abstract. This study aimed at evaluating the antimicrobial potential of Usnea barbata lichen as a medicinal plant against selected Staphylococcus species isolated from raw milk of cows. In-vitro screening of methanol and ethyl-acetate extracts from Usnea barbata lichen were evaluated to determine their antimicrobial activity against thirteen different Staphylococcus species. The selected organisms were isolated from raw bovine milk and identified using several biochemical tests and confirmed with API staph kit. The antimicrobial activity of the extracts were evaluated using both the agar well diffusion method (at 5 mg/ml, 10 mg/ml and 20 mg/ml) and the broth micro-dilution technique to determine the mean zone of inhibition and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), respectively. Both the methanol and ethyl-acetate extracts showed variable antimicrobial activity against the Staphylococcus species with mean zones of inhibition ranging from 0-34 mm in diameter at 5 mg/ml, 10 mg/ml and 20 mg/ml, respectively. Susceptibility by the Staphylococcus species tested in the methanol and the ethyl-acetate extract was 92.31 % and 53.85 %, respectively. The MIC result for the methanol extract ranged from 0.04 to 10 mg/ml, while that of the ethyl-acetate extract ranged from 0.16 to 5 mg/ml. Results from this study revealed the in vitro microbial activity of Usnea barbata extracts which indicate its potential as a medicinal plant.