Antibacterial activity of fruits of Terminalia chebula and Terminalia belerica against mastitis field isolates

Mastitis is the most damaging disease of dairy industry worldwide. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antibacterial effects of hot aqueous extract (HAE) of the fruits of Terminalia chebula and Terminalia belerica on field isolates of mastitis. Hot aqueous extract of the fruits of the selected plants as well as a mixture (1:1) of these two extracts were used for their synergistic/antagonistic effect. Their antibacterial potential against all the bacterial isolates was determined by disc diffusion method. The zones of inhibition with the mixture of two extracts revealed no synergistic or antagonistic effect. The decrease in the zone of inhibition after a period of 24h proved the effect as bacteriostatic rather than bactericidal. The findings justify the use of Triphala as a compound or Harad (Terminalia chebula) and Bahera (Terminalia belerica) separately to treat the cases of bovine clinical/sub-clinical mastitis. A dose of 20 mg was considered as effective for the treatment of the cases of mastitis.