Antimicrobial activity and bio-potency of homoeopathy medicines against enteric pathogens

Abstract

Homoeopathy medicines are used in many countries for the treatment of various human ailments. Homoeopathy medicines have no direct effect on some acute infectious diseases such as post operation infection, because it needs immediate recovery, but homoeopathy medicines may cure patients slowly forever. Homoeopathy medicines are very effective in case of chronic ailments. In the case where pathogens of infectious diseases become multidrug resistant, traditional antibiotics are failed to kill bacteria; in that case homoeopathy medicines may be an effective alternative, producing no toxic side effects & bringing about rapid recovery. Homoeopathy medicine actually gained its greatest popularity for its impressive successes in the treatment of infectious diseases in the19th century. It represents a different approach for understanding disease and health, for its potential of strengthening a person’s immune system that fights against infection. Homoeopathy medicines have been using worldwide, because of trust on homoeopathy medicines. Some works on antimicrobial activity of homoeopathy medicines had been done worldwide, but a few reports or no reports are available so fur in Bangladesh especially on enteric human pathogens. The study was carried out in vitro for antimicrobial activity of homoeopathy medicines against human enteric pathogens. Five homoeopathy medicines were used such as Mercurius Corrosivus-6 (Merc Cor-6), Mercurius Solubilis-6 (Merc Sol-6), Pyrogenium-6, Hepar Sulfuris calcareum-6 (Hepar Sulf-6), and Sulfur-6. These all medicines were applied against E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella typhi, Shigella dysentriae, Vibrio cholera. Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus and Micrococcus luteus had been treated with the five homoeopathy medicines for finding positive reference organism. Based on sensitivity to all five homoeopathy medicines Micrococcus luteus was selected as reference organism for further study. In vitro antibacterial activity of five homoeopathy medicines were done by Kirby Bauer method, of which, Merc-Sol-6 and Sulfur-6 medicines showed zone of inhibition against human pathogens studied. Merc-Sol-6 showed zones of inhibition against E. coli O157:H7 (13.1±0.20/50 µl/disc and 20.09±0.21/100 µl/disc), Shigella dysenterae (10.5±0.33/50 µl/disc and 15.45±0.15/100 µl/disc), Salmonella typhi (15.3±0.18/50 µl/disc and 19.13±0.30/100 µl/disc),Vibrio cholera (14.33±0.24/50 µl/disc and 19.46±0.20/100 µl/disc) and sulfur-6 showed zones of inhibition against E. coli O157:H7 (12.67±0.31/50 µl/disc and 20.13±0.30/100 µl/disc), Shigella dysenterae (10.33±0.20/50 µl/disc and 22.33±0.18/100 µl/disc), Salmonella typhi (14.33±0.28/50 µl/disc and 21.67±0.35/100 µl/disc), and Vibrio cholera (9.13±0.20/50 µl/disc and 18.05±0.08/100 µl/disc). MIC and MBC were done by broth dilution method where Merc-sol-6 displayed a strong antimicrobial activity with MIC and MBC values as low as 64 μl/ ml and 128 μl/ml, respectively against E. coli O157:H7 , Salmonella typhi where 226 μl/ ml and 512 μl/ml, respectively against Shigella dysenterae and Vibrio cholerae, on the other hand sulfur-6 displayed a strong antimicrobial activity with MIC and MBC values as low as 64 μl/ ml and 128 μl/ml, respectively against E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella typhi and 226 μl/ ml and 512 μl/ml against Shigella dysenterae and 128 μl/ml and 256 μl/ml against Vibrio cholerae. Merc-Sol-6 and Sulfur-6 were Potentized/Dynamized to Merc-Sol-7 and Sulfur-7 and their antibacterial activity was determined. Merc-Sol-7 showed zones of inhibition against E. coli O157:H7 (9.40±0.10/50 µl/disc and 11.04±0.01/100 µl/disc), Shigella dysenterae (8.5±0.34/50 µl/disc and 10.25±0.06/100 µl/disc), Salmonella typhi (8.23±0.12/50 µl/disc and 10.13±0.31/100 µl/disc),Vibrio cholera (9.34±0.12/50 µl/disc and 10.21±0.20/100 µl/disc) and Sulfur-7 showed zones of inhibition against E. coli O157:H7 (9.37±0.01/50 µl/disc and 11.04±0.40/100 µl/disc), Shigella dysenterae (8.35±0.02/50 µl/disc and 10.34±0.08/100 µl/disc), Salmonella typhi (8.33±0.08/50 µl/disc and 9.38±0.06/100 µl/disc),Vibrio cholera (8.23±0.20/50 µl/disc and 11.05±0.08/100 µl/disc). These findings showed a little less activity than merc-sol-6 (E. coli O157:H7; 45.05%, Shigella dysenterae; 33.66%, Salmonella typhi; 47.05%, Vibrio cholera; 47.53%) and sulfur-6 (E. coli O157:H7; 45.16%, Shigella dysenterae; 53.74%, Salmonella typhi; 56.76%, Vibrio cholera; 38.78%), suggesting that activity of dynamized homoeopathy medicines sometime for some reasons would not be increased. Bio-potency of Merc-Sol-6 and Sulfur-6 were determined in comparison to Azithromycin. Bio-potency of Merc-Sol-6 showed 19.33%, 20.42%, 8.96%, 23.16%, and, 17.84% against M. luteus, E. coli O157:H7, Shigella dysenterae, Salmonella typhi, and Vibrio cholerae, respectively and Sulfur-6 showed 20.56%, 39.92%, 23.52%, 23.59% and 20.88%, against M. luteus, E. coli O157:H7, Shigella dysenterae, Salmonella typhi, and Vibrio cholerae, respectively. Comparative study of Merc-Sol-6 and Sulfur-6 to Azithromycin was carried out which showed 80.33%, 66.08%, 86.52%, and, 78.42 against E. coli O157:H7, Shigella dysenterae, Salmonella typhi, and Vibrio cholerae, respectively and Sulfur-6 showed 91.31%, 85.17%, 91.11%, and 81.67%, against E. coli O157:H7, Shigella dysenterae, Salmonella typhi, and Vibrio cholerae, respectively. From this investigation it is suggested that Merc-Sol-6 and Sulfur-6 can be used in controlling infectious diseases caused by E. coli O157:H7, Shigella dysentrae, Salmonella typhi, and Vibrio cholera. Extensive researches are to be necessary to find any other homoeopathy medicines against active against enteric and non-enteric human infectious diseases.