Razi Journal of Medical Sciences

  Introduction : Kefir is a probiotic mixture of bacteria and yeast originating from Qafqaz region. The Kefir grain contain s both Lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus,Lactococcus,Leuconostoc,Acetobacte and Streptococcus spp.) and yeast (Kluyveromyces, Torula, Candida and Saccharomyces spp.). Kefir is claimed to have therapeutic effect. This study looked at the antimicrobial activity of Kefir on Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

  Methods: The antimicrobial activity of Kefir extract were determined on Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853) and on those isolated from burned patient. Effect of antibacterial extracts Kefir fermentation time in both 48 and 72 hours at a temperature of 35 degrees Celsius were determined with the disk plate and well test in vitro. The MIC was defined as the lowest antimicrobial concentration able to completely inhibited bacterial growth up to 24 h. MIC values were determined by microdilution method. The lactic acid contents of the Kefir extracts were determined by reverse-phase HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography).

  Result: The result showed that the highest antimicrobial activity of Kefir extract on Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853) and the burned patient isolation, ranged from 250 mg/mL(MIC) to 250 mg/mL(MBC) on time 96h.

  Discussion: The Kefir extract showed significant antimicrobial activity on Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853) and the clinical isolate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.