Bioactive Compound Profiling and In-vitro Antimicrobial Study of Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) Extract against Pneumococcal Bacteria

High morbidity and mortality rate associated with pneumococcal infection globally is of major concern most especially among infant. This burden is equally worsened by multidrug resistance strains due to indiscriminate consumption of antibiotics. Hence, need for constant search for cheap and effective bioactive compounds as alternative antimicrobials for the treatment of pneumococcal infection. Bioactive compound profiling and in-vitro antibacterial activity of ginger methanol extract against two predominant pneumococcal agents; Streptococcus pneumonia and Haemophilus influenza were investigated. Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) was used for the identification and quantification of bioactive compounds in the ginger methanol extract. The antibacterial activity and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of the extract was determined using Agar well diffusion. Twenty-seven (27) matched bioactive compounds were detected in the sample. Zingerone (17.70%), α-zingiberene (13.30%), (6)-shogaol (10.84%), α-Farnesene (6.26%), β-Funebrene (5.61%), 6-gingerol (5.18%), α-curcumene (4.15%) were the major compounds present. All other identified compounds had less than 4% composition by peak area each. The antibacterial activity of the ginger crude methanol extract against S. pneumonia and H. influenza were 2.33 mm and 9.33 mm. MIC of the extract against the isolates was 10%. In conclusion ginger crude methanol extract contain an array of bioactive compounds and the extract exhibited antibacterial activity against predominant pneumococcal agents. Ginger extract can be harnessed for the production of new antimicrobials to combat pneumococcal infection.