Myristica Fragrans: A Potent Antibacterial Agent against Food Borne Pathogens

The global challenge of drug resistance in pathogenic bacteria has intensified due to the excessive use of antibiotics. In context to this, the antimicrobial activity of flower extract of Myristica fragrans was evaluated against food borne pathogens including Salmonella typhimurium, Shigella flexneri, Vibrio cholera, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus cereus. Myristica fragrans (Nutmeg) belonging to the family Myristicaceae, is widely known for its medicinal properties as an appetiser and gastric stimulant. The flower extract of Myristica fragrans showed good antibacterial activity against Shigella flexneri with MIC of 26.5±0.70.The second phase of the study was aimed at exploring the potency of Myristica fragrans in regulating the gene expression of Shigella flexneri; stx-1 gene coding for the Shiga toxin wherein The PCR studies concluded the potent activity of the extract in down regulating the stx-1 gene when compared to that of the control. The significance of this study lies in the fact that there has been no research carried out so far with the flower extract of Myristica fragrans although potent activities have been demonstrated by the other parts of the plant