ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY POTENTIAL OF PHYTO-SYNTHESIZED SILVER NANOPARTICLES USING COCOA (THEOBROMA CACAO) SEED EXTRACT ON MULTIDRUG RESISTANT E. COLI ISOLATED FROM POULTRY ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

Phyto-synthesised silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have gained significant attention from researchers recently due to their non-toxic (eco-friendly) nature, cost-effectiveness, and readily available synthesis materials (plant extracts). This study assessed the antimicrobial activity potential of phyto-synthesised silver nanoparticles using cocoa (Theobroma cacao) seed extract on multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli isolated from a poultry farm environment. The phyto-synthesised silver nitrate was characterised using spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-visible spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The antimicrobial potentials of the AgNPs were then tested on eight (8) multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli strains collected from ecotoxicological laboratory, at the department of microbiology, university of Ilorin Nigeria, which were molecularly identified during the course of this study as E. coli O157:7 TR01, E. coli 0157:H7 TR01, E. coli H17, E. coli ST2747, E. coli NCTC9733, E. coli 210221272, E. coli EGE, and E. coli FORC081. Disk diffusion method was employed. An absorbance peak at 450 nm was observed in UV-visible spectroscopy, and the FTIR spectral peak indicated the presence of the O-H stretch of amide (3632.72) in the synthesised AgNPs. The particle sizes ranged from 7.56 to 14.96 nm, and the AgNPs demonstrated antibacterial activity against 37.5 % of the test isolates, including E. coli 0157:H7 TR01, E. coli 210221272, and E. coli EGE.