IN-VITRO ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF POTASH ALUM

This study reports the bactericidal activity of potash alum when added to water, against various epidemic causing enteric pathogens like Vib rio cholerae O1, V. cholerae O139 and Shigella dysenteriae 1 by loweri ng the pH of water (from 6.0 to 4.0). Growth of the enteric pathogens was monitored in vitro by inoculating broth cultures of the different organisms in distilled water containing increasing concentrations of p otash alum and quantitatively determining the concentration of viable organisms over a 48 h period by the standard plate count method. Contr ols constituted cultures of each organism grown in the absence of pota sh alum. The pH of alum administered water was measured in each test t ube before inoculation of organisms. Potash alum was found to inhibit growth (10(5) viable count per mi) of most of the organisms examined, particularly V. cholerae O1 and V. cholerae O139 in a dose dependent f ashion. deduction of colony forming units was observed in presence of 0.25 g/dl of alum after 5 h and no growth was noticed after 24 h.