The discovery of penicillin led to remarkable progress in the treatment of diseases and far-reaching advancements in novel antibiotics’ development and use. However, the uncontrolled use and abuse of antibiotics in subsequent years have led to the emergence of the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis, which now threatens modern medicine. There is an increasing number of emerging and reemerging infectious diseases, which have worsened the state of AMR and pose a serious threat to global health. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports the inadequacy of the drug development pipeline to meet the needs of the pharmaceutical sector in the face of AMR, and this poses a significant challenge in the treatment of diseases. Natural products (NPs) represent a promising group of antibiotic alternatives that can potentially mitigate AMR, as they bypass the pharmacodynamics of traditional antibiotics, thereby making them immune to the mechanisms of AMR. NPs, including plant derivatives, bacteriophages, metals, antimicrobial peptides, enzymes, and immune modulators, as monotherapies or in synergism with existing antibiotics, are gaining attention in a bid to reconstruct the antibiotic pipeline. Harnessing these as antimicrobial agents to curb AMR can help to provide sufficient defence against these infectious pathogens. The current review provides a comprehensive overview of the state of AMR and the potential of the above-mentioned antibiotic alternatives. Additionally, we discuss progress made and research breakthroughs in the application of these alternative therapies in humans, exploring findings from clinical trials and experimental models. The review further evaluates the advancement in technology, interdisciplinary approaches to the formulation and utilisation of NPs, and collaborations in alternative drug development. The research gaps present in this ever-evolving field are highlighted and evaluated together with regulatory issues, safety concerns, and technical difficulties in implementation.

The need for new antimicrobial agent is linked with the emergence of strains that are restraint to most antibiotics and plants are safer alternative source of antimicrobials. This study aimed at determining the nutritional properties, phytochemical constituents, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of seed and peel Citrus paradisi. The test organisms were obtained from a tertiary hospital were analyzed using conventional microbiological methods. The ethanol and aqueous extracts of C. paradisi was obtained using the rotary evaporator. Antimicrobial activity was determined using agar well diffusion method. Proximate composition of seed and peel of C. paradisi were moisture, protein, ash, fibre, lipid and carbohydrates. Qualitative phytochemical constituents revealed the presence of alkaloids, saponin, tannin and flavonoids, and Quantitative phytochemical constituents revealed 19.41 mgGallic acid equivalent/g and 8.07 mgGallic acid equivalent/g of total phenols of ethanolic and aqueous peel extracts respectively. The ethanolic extract of seed had phenolic content of 3.73 mgGAE/g. The ethanolic peel and aqueous seed extracts showed higher 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) antioxidant activity of 35.32% and 25.32% respectively. The ethanolic seed extract of C. paradisi exhibited antimicrobial activity against all the bacterial test isolates at different concentrations. At 500mg/ml and 250mg/ml, P. aeruginosa showed the mean zone of inhibition of 18mm respectively. The largest mean zones of inhibition for S. aureus and E.coli were seen at 500mg/ml and 250mg/ml with 20mm and 27mm respectively. The ethanolic peel extract of C. paradisi exhibited antimicrobial activity at 500mg/ml against P. aeruginosa and S. aureus, with the largest zones of inhibition of 25mm and 20mm respectively. At 250mg/ml, E. coli, had the largest mean zone of inhibition of 25mm. No antimicrobial activity was observed for both ethanolic peel and seed extracts of C. paradisi against Aspergillus spp. The aqueous extract of the seed of Citrus paradisi at the different concentrations showed no antimicrobial activity against both the bacterial and fungal isolates. The aqueous extract of the peel had antimicrobial effect on P. aeruginosa at 125mg/ml with mean zone of inhibition of 15mm. At 500mg/ml S. aureus and E. coli exhibited zones of inhibtion of 15mm and 20mm respectively. No zone of inhibition was observed with Aspergillus spp. This investigation indicates the peel of C. paradisi has medicinal activity and holds the potential as therapeutic agent for treating microbial infections.

The content of abattoir effluent and its receiving water body, Orogodo River in Agbor, Delta State. Total heterotrophic and coliform counts were assessed using standard microbiological techniques. The viable heterotrophic bacteria count for the rainy season ranges from 7.7x105-4.6x104cfu/ml. Total coliform counts 2.6x105 -3.4x104 MPN/ml respectively. A total of 11 bacteria were isolated, antibiotic susceptibility pattern of bacteria was determined using the disk diffusion method. Five out of the bacteria isolates were resistant to at least four antibiotics. Out of all the antibiotics used 90 isolates were susceptible to erythromycin, 5% were resistant, also, 85 were susceptible to ofloxacin with 5% resistance and 10% were intermediate. Ampicillin had the highest resistance of 40%. The Molecular identification of multiple antibiotic-resistant bacteria was carried out using a 16S rRNA gene sequence. The identified bacteria include Shigella flexneri, Enterobacter hormaechei, Proteus vulgarus, Morganella morganii, and Pseudomonas oryzae. Data were statistically analyzed to determine the level of significance. The microbial population of bacteria isolated was found to be higher in the abattoir wastewater sample 7.7x105 and the point of entry sites 4.0x105 when compared to the downstream and upstream sample stations. The high microbial load and presence of multiple antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the river water is alarming and can lead to public health risks when such water is consumed or used for cleaning meat during processing. There is a need for proper management of abattoir waste, An on-site pretreatment strategy (collection of waste, treatment, processing, anaerobic digestion, and safe disposal) is highly recommended and should be enforced by relevant authority to safeguard the environment and the populace that depend on the Orogodo river water.

The global rise in antibiotic resistance among Gram-negative bacteria poses a significant threat to public health, particularly in resource-limited settings. This study investigates the epidemiology of multidrug-resistant (MDR) genes in Gram-negative bacteria isolated from symptomatic patients with bacteriuria at the Federal Medical Center Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. A total of 100 urine specimens were collected from patients within the age range of 13 to 70 years attending Federal Medical Centre Yenagoa. The specimens were analyzed by culture, biochemical tests, and molecular methods. The Antibiotic susceptibility test was done using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method following clinical and laboratory standard institute (CLSI) guidelines. The results showed that 26 bacterial isolates were obtained which include; Escherichia coli 14(53.8%), Klebsiella pneumoniae 6(23.1%), Proteus mirabilis 4 (15.4%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa 2(7.7%). The highest occurring isolate was E. coli 14(53.8%) while the lowest was P. aeruginosa 2(7.7%). E. coli is the predominant isolate in females 9(34.6%). Female had the highest occurring isolates 14(53.5%) compared to male 12(46.1%). The age ranges with the highest isolates was 51-60 years and 61-70 years with 7(26.9%) respectively, while the lowest was within the age range of 13-20 years with 1(3.8%). The antibiotic susceptibility tests revealed that E. coli showed the highest resistance to ampicillin (85.7%), ceftriaxone (78.57%), piperacillin/tazobactam (64.28%), and cotrimoxazole (64.28%), with notable susceptibility to ciprofloxacin (57.14%) and levofloxacin. K. pneumoniae demonstrated strong resistance to ampicillin and piperacillin/tazobactam at 83.33% respectively, while being most susceptible to ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, and azithromycin at 66.7% respectively. P. mirabilis exhibited high resistance to ceftriaxone, tetracycline, and azithromycin (75%) respectively, but showed maximum susceptibility to piperacillin/tazobactam, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, and levofloxacin (75%) respectively. P. aeruginosa was most resistant and completely susceptible to multiple antibiotics at 50% and 100%. The resistance genes CTX-M and SHV were present in P. mirabilis while TEM was absent. CTX-M, SHV and TEM were not present in E. coli, K. pneumoniae, and P. aeruginosa. The 16S rRNA of the isolates showed a percentage similarity to other species at 100%. The evolutionary distances computed using the Jukes-Cantor method were in agreement with the phylogenetic placement of the 16S rRNA of the isolates within the E. coli, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, and Providencia sp., and revealed a close relatedness to the E. coli, K. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa, and Providencia stuartii. In conclusion, the observed antibiogram profile revealed multidrug resistance among the isolated bacteria and at the same time pathogenic. Therefore, it is recommended to conduct comprehensive surveillance, investigate risk factors, utilize molecular techniques, evaluate antimicrobial stewardship, and promote one health approach to prevent bacteriuria.