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Abstract
The study was carried out to compare the antimicrobial activity of some medicated soaps and Herbal soap against Staphylococcus aureus isolated from skin of female students of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Anambra state University. Nineteen different skin samples were collected with sterile swab stick and inoculated into Mannitol salt agar using spread plate methods and incubated for 24 hours at 370C., Staphylococcus aureus were isolated from eight Skin samples. The isolated Staphylococcus aureus was sub-cultured into agar slant and was identified by biochemical test. Using disc diffusion method, the antimicrobial activity was carried out. From the result of the study, the herbal soap HAI showed high antimicrobial activity on all the Staphylococcus aureus isolates as it inhibited all the isolates in the range of 16-19mm, four Staphylococcus aureus isolates resisted sample HAII, while four other isolates were inhibited by HAII in the range of (13-18mm). Sample HAIII showed inhibition on only two strains of Staphylococcus aureus in the range (15-16mm) as other six isolate resisted the soap. The medicated soap showed that MAI and MAII soap was effective on all the isolate of Staphylococcus aureus in the range of (16-25mm). MAIII soap was effective on six isolate of Staphylococcus aureus in the range of (12-15mm) as other two isolate resisted the MAIII soap. Comparatively the medicated soaps have satisfactory antibacterial activity on the Staphylococcus aureus isolates than the Herbal soaps. In view of the findings of this study it recommended that medicated soaps should be in use by people who are on treatment on skin diseases traced to be caused by Staphylococcus aureus as they showed better antimicrobial activity on unlike the Herbal soap studied. Keyword: Herbal, Medicated, Staphylococcus aureus, antimicrobial, Skin