Antibacterial activity of snake venoms against bacterial clinical isolates

Abstract

Recently, many antibacterial agents have been found in the venoms of animals from different sources. However, multidrug-resistant strains of bacteria are an important health problem in need for new antibacterial sources and agents. This study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial activity of several snake crude venoms in Elapidae family against several strains of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria as new sources of potential antibacterial agents. Current studies revealed that king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) crude venom showed selective antibacterial activity against methicillin- resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) more efficient than tested antibiotics currently on the market. King cobra crude venom showed the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) = 8 µg/ml against MRSA, whereas standard antibiotics (ampicillin, penicillin, chloramphenicol and tetracycline) showed MIC in the range of 8-64 µg/ml. The result of scanning electron microscope revealed that king cobra crude venom exerted antibacterial activity against grampositive bacteria via its membrane-damaging activity and it is a feasible source for exploring antimicrobial prototypes for future design new antibiotics against drug-resistant clinical bacteria.