Published online in http://ijam. co. in 289 Manita Ahlawat et.al., In-vitro Evaluation of Antimicrobial Activity of Dhupana Drugs on Staphylococcus aureus ISSN: 0976-5921 In-vitro evaluation of antimicrobial activity of Dhupana drugs on Staphylococcus aureus Manita Ahlawat 1* , Reetu Sharma 2 , Mandal SK 3 1. PG Scholar, 2. Assistant Professor, 3. Associate Professor, Department of Roga & Vikriti Vijnana, National Institute of Ayurveda, Jaipur Abstract Multidrug resistance in the notorious bacterial strains is accounting for a tremendous increase in global mortality rate. The upcoming new generation antibiotics are granting a perceptive provision in this issue but the superbugs have enforced these antimicrobial agents to surrender by developing the innovative variation in their genes/ plasmids. So alternatives are desired to combat this problem. Herbal drugs may broaden this spectrum of antimicrobial agents by offering safer and promising approach. Dhupana karma is such a modality known for its antimicrobial activity due to its indication in infectious diseases as per classical texts. The present study included fumigation on Staphyloccus aureus with four Dhupana formulations to assess their antimicrobial activity. The assessment criteria taken was mean bacterial colony count after 20 min of fumigation compared with control (without fumigation). Statistical analysis was done using Anova test and Tukey Kramer comparison test. The % change in mean colony count of B1 (S.aureus) after 20 min of fumigation was found to be 76.61 % with drug D1 (Nimbadi Dhupa), 84.13 % with drug D2 (Kumaragara Dhupa), 80.51 % with drug D3 (Dashanga Dhupa) and 98.94 % with drug D4 (Gana Dhupa ). Keywords: Multidrug resistance, Dhupana karma, Antimicrobial agents. *Corresponding Author: Manita Ahlawat PG Scholar, Department of Roga & Vikriti Vijnana, National Institute of Ayurveda, Jaipur Email id: dr.ahlawatmanita16@gmail.com Introduction The effective prevention and treatment of an ever -increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi is constantly being threatened by increasing antimicrobial resistance. It is a complex global public health challenge and is accelerated by the misuse of antimicrobial agents. The increasing waves of antibiotic resistance in S. aureus set a problematic example of this issue. Today, S. aureus is a growing issue both within hospitals and communities because of its internal virulence and ability to adjust to different environments. Despite the availability of effective antimicrobials, the mortality of S. aureus bacteraemia remains approximately 20– 40% (1). The upcoming antimicrobial drugs are becoming less effective or even ineffective resulting in global health security emergency that is rapidly beating the available treatment options. It is posing a great impact on particularly vulnerable and immunocompromised patients resulting in prolonged illness, life threatening infections acquired in hospitals and in the community and finally increased mortality. It causes the crucial necessity for development and implementation of effective strategies to curtail the emergence and spread of AMR. Herbal therapies and drugs may contribute in this field. Ayurveda is rich in treatment modalities in the context of microbiology. Although under noticed, these can be used as add on therapy along with modern antibiotics. Dhupana karma , a traditional method of sterilisation, can be a boon and help in curtailing the problem of increasing trends of antimicrobial resistance. It is a technique of delivering the plant active constituents in form of fumes to the target sites. In the present study, four Dhupana formulations were assessed in vitro for their antimicrobial activity on S.aureus. Materials and methods Dhupana drugs The drug formulations were prepared at NIA Pharmacy under expert’s supervision. The required drugs were taken in raw form and then air dried. The drugs were ground into coarse powder using pulveriser machine and mixed in equal proportions accordingly. The formulations were then stored in air tight containers at room temperature. Table 1. shows the ingredients of the respective 4 formulations. Microorganism The isolated strain of Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213) purchased from Hi media Laboratories Pvt. Ltd. Mumbai was selected for the study. The bacteria was cultured on Mueller Hinton Agar at 37 °C for 24 h and then used for antimicrobial activity. Research Article