Antibacterial Activity of Aronia melanocarpa Extracts against Pathogenic Elizabethkingia Species

Elizabethkingia, a genus of bacteria that includes opportunistic human pathogens, poses significant challenges in healthcare due to its association with high case-fatality rates worldwide. This study aims to assess the antibacterial activity of Aronia melanocarpa (black chokeberry) extracts against Elizabethkingia species, such as Elizabethkingia meningoseptica (isolated from Institut Jantung Negara (IJN)), E. meningoseptica (from National Collection of Type Cultures (NCTC)), and Elizabethkingia anopheles. Aqueous, ethanolic, and methanolic extracts of A. melanocarpa were examined for antibacterial activity using agar well diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) tests. The sensitivity of each bacterial strain to different extract concentrations was evaluated. The aqueous extracts showed negligible antibacterial activity against all tested strains. However, the methanolic and ethanolic extracts demonstrated significant antibacterial efficacy. Notably, both extracts inhibited the growth of E. meningoseptica and E. anophelis, with methanolic extracts showing the highest potency in MIC and MBC assays. The findings suggest that methanolic and ethanolic extracts of A. melanocarpa hold potential as alternative antimicrobial agents or candidates for developing pharmaceutical treatments targeting antibiotic resistant Elizabethkingia infections. Further studies are necessary to investigate their mechanisms of action and clinical applications.