Microbiological Quality of Herbal Formulation used for the treatmentof Typhoid Fever Sold in Makurdi Metropolis, Central Nigeria

Abstract:

Herbal formulation has been used in recent years to treat various
diseases including malaria, typhoid, dysentery, and cholera. To
investigate the microbiological quality of herbal formulations.
Herbal formulations were purchased from four different markets
(Wadata market, Wurukum market, Modern market, and North
bank market) in Makurdi metropolis. Microbiological analysis
was carried out using pour plate method. Identiication of
isolated microorganisms was based on their cultural,
morphological, and biochemical characteristics using standard
microbiological procedures. Microbiological analyses showed
that the total bacterial counts (TBC) of all the test herbal samples
obtained from the various markets ranged from 1.8 x103 to
9.3×103 cfu/ml and the total fungal count in the herbal mixture
had a range of 1.0×103 to 2.5×103, Four bacterial species were
identiied and they include; Bacillus spp, Escherichia coli,
Staphylococcus aureus and Enterobacter spp. The least
occurring bacterial isolate was Bacillus spp (12.5%), while the
highest occurring was Staphylococcus aureus (37.5%).Four
fungal isolates were identiied and they include, Aspergillus niger,
Penicillium spp, Scedosporium spp, and Phialophora
parasiticum. Aspergillus niger and Phialophora parasiticum
were the least occurring fungal isolate (12.5%) while
Scedosporium spp and Phialophora parasiticum were the most
occurring fungal isolate (37.5%). Since applications of herbal
medicines for curative purposes is on the increase, there is a need
for risk assessment of the microbial load of the medicinal plants
at critical control points during processing. Furthermore, the
danger associated with the potential toxicity of herbal therapies
employed over a long period of time demand that the
practitioners be kept abreast of the reported incidence of renal
and hepatic toxicity resulting from the ingestion of medicinal
herbs.