Date of Award

2021

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Natural Sciences

First Advisor

Diaz-Almedya, Erika

Area of Concentration

Microbiology

Abstract

This thesis evaluated the effect of modern antibiotics and traditional herbal medicines on bacteria isolated from the human gut. Antibiotics are medicines that are used on humans or animals to kill or slow down the growth of bacteria (Davies, 2017). Due to improper antibiotic usage, antibiotic resistance, the acquired ability of bacteria to avoid the antimicrobial effects of antibiotics, is becoming more prevalent (Davies, 2017). Resistance prevents antibiotics from clearing infections, creating dangerous bacteria such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, abbreviated as MRSA (Sakoulas, 2004). Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are problematic in our modern-day world (Sakoulas, 2004). When antibiotics are used incorrectly, more bacteria become resistant to newer antibiotics (Sakoulas, 2004). Typically to clear up infections broad-spectrum antibiotics are used first unless an exact antibiotic can be used (Talpaert et al, 2011). Broad-spectrum antibiotics are non-selective antimicrobials that kill off all the surrounding bacteria including beneficial bacteria (Talpaert et al, 2011). Despite this, antibiotics are overprescribed (Atlas et al, 2014; Talpaert et al, 2011). While extensive studies comparing the effect of herbal medicine and antibiotics in the human gut microbiome are yet to be done, some studies have shown promising results in vitro when herbal medicine is combined with antibiotics (Yang, 2005). My study compared the antibiotic and probiotic properties of known commonly used antibiotics and traditional herbal medicines. To make this assessment, I used Escherichia coli, a bacterium that is often found in large quantities inside the human gut microbiome (Leimbach, 2013). Some strains of E. coli can help regulate the digestive system although other strains are a known cause of the disease (Leimbach, 2013). I measured the effect of 7 common antibiotics and five herbal medicinal plants on E. coli isolated from human stools using antibiograms. Antibiograms showed large zones of inhibition for the modern medicine, while the herbal medicine showed little zones of inhibition such as in the safflower and persica extract (Fm7422 = 12mm zone of inhibition), while some herbal extracts such as the ruda-6 showed increased growth rate (Fm7422 = 20mm zone of growth). The experiment showed a potential antibacterial characteristic in some herbal extracts, while two herbal extracts promoted the growth of E. coli. These results indicate that there is a slight antibiotic resistance within the herbal medicines used, meaning there is potential to investigate them in combination with modern medicine to enhance effects and trying higher herbal doses. Some herbal medicines such as ruda-6 also promoted healthier growth in the gut, similar to a probiotic, giving insight to a different perspective of healing that involves inducing growth of beneficial bacteria instead of inhibiting growth. 人体肠道是一个小型的共生系统。它影响人、社区和环境的健康。传统药方和现代药方都用于治疗疾病。现有的研究显示草药中有少数抗菌剂。本实验证实草药有抗菌的效果，可是效果不及西药。另外，本实验也发现Ruda-6和金樱子均产生菌株的生长反应。

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