Phytochemical constituents of tea tree oil and garlic and their antibacterial activity against bacteria isolated from high vaginal swabs

Bacterial vaginal infections are common and often recurrent issues primarily caused by an imbalance in the vaginal flora. With rising antibiotic resistance, alternative treatments like natural substances are being explored. The aim of this study was to determine the phytochemical constituents and antibacterial activity of garlic and tea tree oil on high vaginal swab (HVS) bacterial isolates. A total of 75 HVS samples were collected and each was inoculated on Nutrient agar, Blood agar, MacConkey agar and de Man Rogosa Sharpe agar, and incubated at 37 °C for 24 hours. Pure isolates were identified through standard methods and molecular characterization. Garlic and tea tree oil were analysed for bioactive components using qualitative phytochemical methods. Antibacterial susceptibility testing was also carried out on the compounds using agar well diffusion method. Broth dilution method was used to determine the Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the isolates. The primary bacterial isolates identified out of the 75 bacterial isolates obtained were Lactobacillus spp, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Shigella flexneri which had a frequency distribution of 21, 35, 14 and 5 respectively. The qualitative phytochemical analysis showed presence of allicin, flavonoids, reducing sugar, saponins and tannins in garlic while tea tree oil showed presence of flavonoids, terpenoids and terpinen-4-ol. The inhibition zone diameters (IZD) for garlic ranged from 9.50±0.35 mm at 12.5 mg/ml against S. flexneri to 23.00±0.28 and 23.00±0.71 mm at 200 mg/ml against E. coli and S. aureus respectively, while the IZD values for tea tree oil ranged from 8.00±0.00 mm at 25 mg/ml against Lactobacillus spp to 25.00±0.78 mm at 200 mg/ml against S. aureus. The MIC values for garlic were 12.5 to 50 mg/ml, whereas tea tree oil showed MIC values of 12.5 to 100 mg/ml. Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values for garlic ranged from 50 to 200 mg/ml and for tea tree oil from 25 to 200 mg/ml. These findings indicated that tea tree oil is more effective than garlic against the bacterial isolates. Both garlic and tea tree oil exhibit potent antibacterial effects against the isolates. These substances could be potential alternatives or adjuncts to conventional treatments for bacterial vaginal infections. In vivo studies and clinical trials are recommended to validate these findings and develop appropriate therapeutic formulations.