In vitro antimicrobial activity

The study assessed the in vitro antimicrobial activity of crude extract of fecal bacteria isolated from Philippine native pig (Sus scrofa) against Escherichia coli and compared with three commonly used antimicrobials namely, ampicillin (10 μg), gentamicin (10 μg) and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMPS) (25 μg) using modified disc diffusion method. After Gram staining, 23 out of the 25 bacterial isolates were observed to be Gram positive rods. Using different incubation period, the 18h incubation period showed the highest number of zones of inhibition against E. coli. While among samples, the isolates collected from the Philippine native pigs raised in San Miguel, Bulacan and Doña Remedios Trinidad, Bulacan showed the highest number of zones of inhibition. The antimicrobial activity of all the crude extracts were significantly higher than ampicillin while significantly lower than gentamicin and TMPS against E. coli. This activity may induce the characteristics resistance of Philippine native pig to different conditions, specifically on gastro-intestinal associated bacte rial pathogen.