INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC & TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5, MAY 2014 ISSN 2277-8616 251 IJSTR©2014 www.ijstr.org Antimicrobial Activities Of Some Selected Edible Mushrooms And Spices Against Clinical Isolates From Federal University Teaching Hospital Abakaliki (FETHA), Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Udu-Ibiam, O.E., Ogbu, O., Nworie, O., Ibiam, U.A., Agah, M.V., Nnachi, A.U., Ogbu, K.I., Chukwu, O.S. Abstract: The rampant multi-drug resistance among human pathogenic microorganisms has necessitated a continuous search for new and potent antimicrobial substances, especially among plants. Also, the importance of herbal plants as sources of alternative medicine is documented worldwide. In this study, antimicrobial activities of extracts of seven edible mushrooms and two spices (ginger and garlic) against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus pyogenes, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans from Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki (FETHA), Ebonyi State, Nigeria were investigated. Antimicrobial components from the mushrooms and spices were extracted with hot water and cold water, ethanol and diethyl ether; the antimicrobial activities were examined by agar well diffusion method. Zones of inhibition were seen mostly in hot water extracts of five mushrooms (Trichaptum sp, Flammulina sp, Boletus sp, Tricholoma sp, and Psalliota campestris) on culture plates inoculated with S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, S. Pyogenes, E. coli and C. albicans at 37 o C within 24hrs. The cold water extracts of the mushroom, P. campestris, gave the highest zone of inhibition of 25.0 mm, followed by 15.0 mm when used against P. aeruginosa. While for spices, the cold water extracts yielded the highest zones of inhibition of 25.0 mm followed by 20.0mm as were observed with ginger. The results obtained have shown clearly that the mushrooms (Trichaptum sp, Tricholoma nudum, Psalliota campestris, Flammulina sp, Boletus sp), garlic (Allium sativum) and ginger (Zingiber officianale) extracts contain phytochemicals with some antimicrobial activities while Cortinarius sp showed no antimicrobial activity. The water extracts of the mushrooms and spices showed broad spectrum antimicrobial activity much more than ethanol and diethyl ether extracts. Generally, hot water extracts of the mushrooms were more potent as antimicrobial agent than either ethanol or cold water extract. It is hereby recommended that these bioactive compounds in mushrooms, ginger and garlic which show antimicrobial activities should be harnessed, patented and circulated as alternative antimicrobials to curb the increasing menace of antimicrobial resistance. Index Terms: Antimicrobial agents, Clinical Isolates, Drug Resistance, Garlic, Ginger, Mushrooms, Nigeria. ———————————————————— 1 INTRODUCTION Global antimicrobial resistance is of increasing public health concern, although a number of natural and synthetic antimicrobial agents have been isolated and developed to effectively control pathogenic microorganisms [1],[2]. As a result, infectious diseases have remained a sustainable burden to human health [1],[3],[4]. This situation of rampant multiple drug resistance among human pathogenic microorganisms has necessitated a continuous search for new antimicrobial agents especially among plants with reported novel potent antimicrobial activities [5]. Also, the knowledge of feeding practices of different ethnic groups across the globe has greatly encouraged the development of research on natural products. This has led to the establishment of relationship between the chemical structure of compounds found in natural products and their biological properties as well as their importance to human health [6]. These natural products have been shown to have potential usefulness in the production of antibacterial drugs [7]. However, most herbal plants and seeds, which have indicated antimicrobial potentials, are yet to be validated of their claimed activities and possibly developing drugs from them. Mushrooms, also called puffballs are macroscopic fungi that can be found in various places such as wet environments, decayed plants and animal sites, termites nest, palm wastes, leaf litters, under shades, to mention but a few [8]. They are distinctive fruiting bodies which are either hypogeous or epigeous [9]. Mushrooms are differentiated into edible or poisonous, wild or domestic. In many countries of the world, Nigeria inclusive edible mushrooms are good for food and are used in medicine to protect against free radicals and infections [10]. Besides medicinal and nutritional use, mushroom can be used as natural dyes for fabrics. Medicinal mushrooms have been proven to be rich sources of bioactive compounds which belong to several chemical groups often polysaccharides or tripenes [2]. Sixty antimicrobial agents have been isolated from mushrooms; however, only the compounds from microscopic fungi are in circulation as antibiotics in the markets [5]. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) and garlic (Allium sativum) are spices and examples of herbal plants which in _____________________________  Onyinye E. Udu-Ibiam is an Assistant Lecturer, Department of Applied Microbiology, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Nigeria.  Ogbonnaya Ogbu is a Professor of Microbiology, Department of Applied Microbiology, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Nigeria.  Okoro Nworie is a Lecturer, Department of Biological Sciences, Federal University Ndufu-Alike, Ikwo, Nigeria.  Udu A. Ibiam is a Senior Lecturer, Department of Biochemistry, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Nigeria.  Maduka V. Agah is an Assistant Lecturer, Department of Applied Microbiology, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Nigeria.  Agwu U. Nnachi is a former M.Sc student of Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria.  Kenneth I. Ogbu is a Lecturer, Department of Biotechnology, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Nigeria.  Okoro S. Chukwu is an Assistant Lecturer, Department of Biological Sciences, Federal University Ndufu-Alike, Ikwo, Nigeria.