Journal Article

Rise of the killer plants: investigating the antimicrobial activity of Australian plants to enhance biofilter-mediated pathogen removal

McCarthy, D. T., Henry, R., Galbraith, P.

2019

Overview

Background Biofilters are soil-plant based passive stormwater treatment systems which demonstrate promising, although inconsistent, removal of faecal microorganisms. Antimicrobial-producing plants represent a safe, inexpensive yet under-researched biofilter design component that may enhance treatment reliability. The mechanisms underlying plant-mediated microbial removal in biofilters have not been fully elucidated, particularly with respect to antimicrobial production. The aim of this study was therefore to inform biofilter vegetation selection guidelines for optimal pathogen treatment by conducting antimicrobial screening of biofilter-suitable plant species. This involved: (1) selecting native plants suitable for biofilters (17 species) in a Victorian context (southeast Australia); and (2) conducting antimicrobial susceptibility testing of selected plant methanolic extracts (≥ 5 biological replicates/species; 86 total) against reference stormwater faecal bacteria ( Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica ser. Typhimurium , Enterococcus faecalis and Escherichia coli ). Results The present study represents the first report on the inhibitory activity of polar alcoholic extracts from multiple tested species. Extracts of plants in the Myrtaceae family, reputed for their production of antimicrobial oils, demonstrated significantly lower minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) than non-myrtaceous candidates ( p  < 0.0001). Melaleuca fulgens (median MIC: 8 mg/mL; range: [4–16 mg/mL]) , Callistemon viminalis (16 mg/mL, [2–16 mg/mL]) and Leptospermum lanigerum (8 mg/mL, [4–16 mg/mL]) exhibited the strongest inhibitory activity against the selected bacteria ( p  < 0.05 compared to each tested non-myrtaceous candidate). In contrast, the Australian biofilter gold standard Carex appressa demonstrated eight-fold lower activity than the highest performer M. fulgens (64 mg/mL, [32–64 mg/mL]). Conclusion Our results suggest that myrtaceous plants, particularly M. fulgens , may be more effective than the current vegetation gold standard in mediating antibiosis and thus improving pathogen treatment within biofilters. Further investigation of these plants in biofilter contexts is recommended to refine biofilter vegetation selection guidelines.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Antibiosis / Antiinfectives and antibacterials / Antimicrobial / Antimicrobial activity / Antimicrobial agents / Applied Microbiology / Bacteria / Biofilter / Biofilters / Biofuels / Biological Techniques / Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering / Biotechnology / Callistemon viminalis / Carex appressa / Component reliability / Disease / E coli / Engineering / Enterococcus faecalis / Environmental Engineering/Biotechnology / Escherichia coli / Fecal microorganisms / Flowers & plants / Freshwater resources / Guidelines / Herbal medicine / Indigenous plants / Indigenous species / Investigations / Leptospermum lanigerum / Melaleuca fulgens / Microorganisms / Minimum inhibitory concentration / Nucleic Acid Chemistry / Organisms / Pathogenic microorganisms / Pathogens / Plant extracts / Plant reliability / Plant species / Pollutants / Retention / Salmonella / Salmonella enterica enterica / Seeds / Stormwater / Urban stormwater / Vegetation / Water conservation