Potential of Herbal Antibacterials as an Alternative to Antibiotics for Multiple Drug Resistant Bacteria: An Analysis

Abstract

Background and Objective: The widespread occurrence of antimicrobial drug-resistance in pathogens is an imminent problem. The herbal antimicrobials have shown promising potential and are often relied upon as a potential alternative to antibiotics. The present study aimed at determining drug resistance trends and evaluates the potential of herbal antimicrobials to combat multi-drug-resistant bacterial infections. Materials and Methods: The 11 year (2009-2019) data available at Clinical Epidemiology Laboratory of Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar on susceptibility for antibiotics (70) and herbal antimicrobials (26) for 6171 bacteria from clinical (3515) and non-clinical (2656) samples were analyzed to estimate the efficacy of antibiotics and herbal antimicrobials and their correlations. Results: The analysis revealed an upward trend of resistance against almost all antibiotics except ampicillin. Antimicrobial resistance towards carbapenems was more often detected in bacteria isolated from clinical cases than those from non-clinical samples. The efficacy of herbal antimicrobials on multiple drug-resistant strains was limited. The zone of bacterial growth inhibition around antibiotic and herbal antimicrobial discs had a positive correlation (r > 0.027, p < 0.01) between the two. Multiple antibiotic resistance indices and multiple herbal antimicrobial resistance indices also had a strong correlation (r > 0.048, p < 0.01). Conclusion: Analysis indicated that herbal drug antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic resistance might go hand in hand. Thus, herbal antimicrobials may not be seen as an alternative to antibiotics for the treatment of infections caused by multiple-drug-resistant bacteria in animals. However, herbal antimicrobials may be alternatives to antibiotics as antibiotics are alternatives to each other.