Browsing by Author "Gatero, Angela Wairimu"

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    Effect of Agroecological Origin on Honey Antibacterial Activity against Select Pathogenic Bacteria, Its Phytochemical and Bacillus Species Profiles
    (Kenyatta University, 2025-11) Gatero, Angela Wairimu
    Risks to human health posed by multidrug-resistant bacteria have been a menace to public health. Honey's content; bioactive organic compounds and bacteria population, have shown promise for the development of new antibiotics. Profiling Bacillus bacteria can serve as a scientific lead for discovering bioactive compounds with potential medical application. Honey’s phytochemical composition and bacteria diversity play an essential part in its antibacterial activity. Research has enhanced our understanding of honey therapeutic antibacterial potential, but its application in clinical care is still limited. This study determined the influence of agroecological origin on antibacterial profile of honey, its diversity of Bacillus bacteria species and phytochemicals. A total of 54 samples were collected from Manyatta and Marigat regions of Embu and Baringo counties. Phytochemicals were extracted using the methanolic maceration method involving dissolution, filtration, and concentration with a rotary evaporator at 40 °C. They were quantified using Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LCMS). This was followed by an analysis of the honey extracts for antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Salmonella typhi. To isolate pure Bacillus bacteria species, the honey samples were serially diluted to reduce bacterial concentration, heat-treated to select for spore-forming bacteria, and plated on HiChrome Bacillus agar. The isolates were identified using morphological and biochemical methods. The PCR products of the DNA from the isolates were shipped to the Netherlands' Macrogen laboratory for sequencing using the Sanger technology. Genetic diversity was determined based on the sequencing of 16s rRNA. The findings showed that both honey extracts from the two locations exhibited significant antibacterial activity against the tested microorganisms. The honey extracts from Manyatta Constituency, Embu County exhibited a noticeably greater activity….