Abstract

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The rising global threat of resistance of microorganisms to antibiotics is alarming. This has necessitated the use of alternative antimicrobial agents in the treatment of infectious diseases caused by pathogens. Clay has since been under investigation for its antimicrobial and therapeutic properties. This study investigated the physicochemical quality and antimicrobial activity of some clay against some skin infection isolates. The physicochemical quality of the clay samples were determined by standard meth ods. The test organisms were multidrug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa , antibiotic susceptible Pseudomonas aeruginosa , methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, antibiotic susceptible Staphylococcus aureus and Aspergillus spp. Clay concentrations of 12 .5%, 25% and 50% were prepared for use for determining minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal/fungicidal concentration (MBC). Of the 10 screened clay samples for antimicrobial activity, three (3) showed activity with zones of inhibition ranging from 11 mm to 16 mm. The MIC of the clay samples ranged from 25 mg/ml to 50 mg/ml against the tested microorganisms . There was no antimicrobial activity against Aspergillus spp. for all clay samples. The MBC for other clay was >50 mg/ml. The physicochemical composition revealed that the clay were high in kaolinite, illite, sulphur, iron and aluminum. This study revealed that clay had antimicrobial activities against the test organisms, perhaps due to their physicochemical composition, suggesti ng that clay could be an alternative treatment option for skin infections caused by these organisms.

Keywords: Clay, antimicrobial activity, skin infection isolates, physicochemical composition