Garlic (Allium sativum), a popular food spice and flavoring agent, has also been used traditionally to treat various ailments especially bacterial infections for centuries in various cultures around the world. The principal phytochemicals that exhibit antibacterial activity are oil-soluble organosulfur compounds that include allicin, ajoenes, and allyl sulfides. The organosulfur compounds of garlic exhibit a range of antibacterial properties such as bactericidal, antibiofilm, antitoxin, and anti-quorum sensing activity against a wide range of bacteria including multi-drug resistant (MDR) strains. The reactive organosulfur compounds form disulfide bonds with free sulfhydryl groups of enzymes and compromise the integrity of the bacterial membrane. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized the development of antibiotic resistance as a global health concern and emphasizes antibiotic stewardship along with the urgent need to develop novel antibiotics. Multiple antibacterial effects of organosulfur compounds provide an excellent framework to develop them into novel antibiotics. The review provides a focused and comprehensive portrait of the status of garlic and its compounds as antibacterial agents. In addition, the emerging role of new technologies to harness the potential of garlic as a novel antibacterial agent is discussed.
Environmental disinfection greatly reduces the occurrence of nosocomial or healthcare associated infections (HCAIs) which are the major healthcare problems worldwide. In India, Ayurvedic traditional fumigation with natural plant products is used to disinfect environment. In the present study, environmental disinfection efficiency of traditional fumigation practice has been evaluated by using natural plant products such as garlic (Allium sativum) peel, turmeric (Curcuma longa) powder, Carom (Trachyspermum ammi) seeds (Ajwain) and Loban (resin of Styrax benzoin and Boswellia species). The efficiency of traditional fumigation using these natural products to disinfect air and surface was evaluated. The effect of traditional fumigation on the microbiological quality of air was revealed by active air sampling. In addition, the ability of the traditional fumigation using garlic peel to disinfect inanimate surface was evaluated using three strains of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Glass slide was artificially contaminated with the bacteria and fumigated whereas non-fumigated slide served as control. The control and fumigated slides were analyzed for surviving bacteria and subjected to scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. Traditional fumigation performed separately with three grams of garlic peel, turmeric, carom seeds and loban powder reduced the average air borne bacterial colony forming units (cfu)/m3 compared to non-fumigated control. The SEM analysis showed reduced number of bacteria in garlic peel fumigated surface samples. The results of the study strongly suggested that the traditional Ayurvedic fumigation with natural plant products is effective in reducing air-borne bacteria and in disinfecting inanimate surfaces. The traditional fumigation with herbal products has huge potential to address the problem of nosocomial infections.
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