Poster Presenter

Psidium Guajava (Guava) Leaf Extract as an Antidiarrhoeal – Looking Beyond Antibiotics
Brijesh S, Poonam Daswani, Pundarikakshudu Tetali, Arvind Natu, Tannaz Birdi
India

Over centuries medicinal plants have served as the source for new molecules for the treatment of infectious diseases. This search has invariably focused on the identification of active principles with microbicidal activity. Ayurveda with its holistic approach visualized the control of infections also by other mechanisms such as alternation in the host’s physiology. The current study substantiates this hypothesis using hot water extract of P. guajava (guava) leaves for the treatment of diarrhoeal diseases which account for nearly 3.2% of all deaths globally. Whilst, the guava leaf extract was not bactericidal for diarrhoeagenic E. coli it exerted its effect by preventing colonization of the gut as measured by adherence to and invasion of HEp-2 cells. It also decreased the production of the heat labile toxin and its binding to GM1. Since this form of treatment targets both host and parasite, development of drug resistance would be minimized.