Potential effectiveness of Morchella conica and Morchella esculenta extracts against carbapenem resistant Acinetobacter baumannii

Acinetobacter baumannii is an important opportunistic bacterium causing nosocomial infections. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), A. baumannii is a top-priority bacterium for the search for novel antibacterial agents. This study was planned to assess the potential antibacterial effects of Morchella conica and Morchella esculenta against carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB). All the Morchella conica and Morchella esculenta extracts were analyzed for potential antibacterial activities by disk diffusion and standard broth microdilution techniques. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) activities of Morchella extracts against both clinical and standard American type culture collection (ATCC) strains of CRAB were noted in the current study. Furthermore, ultra-performance liquid chromatography mass spectroscopy (UPLC-MS) of both Morchella species was performed to reveal the chemical compositions of these extracts. It was observed that all M. conica extracts were able to inhibit the growth of CRAB. Both Morchella species present excellent antibacterial activity, which was comparable to tigecycline but superior to meropenem. The MIC of Morchella extracts required to completely inhibit CRAB ranged from 4.66 ± 1.7 mg/ml to 12 ± 2 mg/ml. The bactericidal effects for M. conica and M. esculenta were ≥ 8–16 mg/ml and ≥ 4–8 mg/ml, respectively. The activities of Morchella extracts against CRAB are reported for the first time. The results demonstrated Morchella extracts have the potential to inhibit CRAB growth.