Antimicrobial potential of a marine seaweed Asparagopsis taxiformis against Leptospira javanica isolates of rodent reservoirs

In this present investigation pharmacologically active compounds were isolated from red algae (Asparagopsis taxiformis) and their efficacy was evaluated against the Leptospira javanica isolates of rodent carriers. The GC-MS analysis of the purified compound revealed the presence of 4,5-dimethyl-1H- pyrrole-2-carboxylic acid ethyl ester (56.012%), fattyacids, 14-methyl-pentadecanoic acid methyl ester (26.6%), octadecanoic acid methyl ester (8.46%), octadec-9-enoic acid 2,3-dihydroxy-propyl ester (4.11%), 9-octadecanoic acid, methyl ester (4.535%) and trace amount of chlorobenzene (0.09%). MICs and MBCs of the purified compound against pathogenic leptospiral strains belonging to 14 serovars and 11 isolates belonging to serovar javanica of Leptospira borgpetersenii were determined in a range of 100-1600 μg/ml. The antibiotics penicillin and doxycycline were used as the standards for the efficiency determination of the seaweed extract against the leptospiral reference serovars and isolates. The minimal inhibitory concentration of penicillin and doxycyline were in the range of 25-200 μg/ml. The seaweed active fraction exhibited comparable MIC and MBC values with that of the standard antibiotic doxycycline. In the present study the seaweed compound has been developed to apply for the 2^nd nodal point of transmission cycle, the environment. Thus the present study draws the development of a novel drug to treat leptospires particularly in environments augmented with rodent carriers.