Microbial contamination of locally available medicinal herbs in Mansehra, Pakistan
Journal Title: Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences (JBES) - Year 2014, Vol 5, Issue 4
Abstract
Microbial contamination of herbal materials can cause the spoilage of pharmaceuticals to a great extent. Evaluation of microbial loads of plant materials to assure quality is therefore significant investigation. In the present study, eight commercially available medicinal plants were evaluated for bacterial and fungal contamination. The results of present study revealed very high microbial loads and also the presence of some pathogenic bacteria in herbal materials. The bacterial strains identified in the investigation were Staphylococcus epidermydis, E.coli, Pseudomonas, Enterobactar aerogenosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella. The fungal isolates were Rhizopus oryzae, Aspergillus Niger, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigates, Cladosporium herbarum, Mucor hiemalis and Penicillium chrysogenum. It was concluded that commercially available plants in Mansehra may be at high risk of microbial contamination and not suitable for medicinal use.
Authors and Affiliations
Zafar Iqbal, Muhammad Farooq, Abid Raza, Aftab Afzal, Inayat Ur Rahman, Aqsa Baig, Amina Bibi, Sabit Rehman
Keywords
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