Antibacterial activity of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) leaf from the slopes of Mount Bromo against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus is an infection-causing bacterium that is associated with many deaths in the world and is complicated by its adaptable condition that causes cases of antibiotic resistance. Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) leaves are known to contain antibacterial compounds, so it is necessary to find out whether fennel leaves have an effect on Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). This study aims to prove the antibacterial activity of ethanol extract of fennel leaves against MRSA bacteria. This study is a true experimental study to test the antibacterial activity of ethanol extract of fennel leaves against MRSA. The fennel leaves used were obtained from the slopes of Mount Bromo. MRSA bacteria were obtained from the Microbiology Laboratory of the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga. The antibacterial test used the agar well diffusion method. SPSS version 27 was used for data analysis to perform non-parametric tests with the Kruskal–Wallis test and the Mann–Whitney post hoc test. The test results showed that the several series of ethanol extract concentrations of fennel leaves used in the test showed that a concentration of 80% formed an inhibition zone against MRSA with an average diameter of 7.12 mm. The conclusion of this study is that fennel leaf extract obtained from the slopes of Mount Bromo has the ability to inhibit the growth of MRSA.