Short Lecture “Combining traditional and conventional medicines: A prevalence and interactive antimicrobial profiling study in South Africa”

In South Africa, the inequitable healthcare access intensified by high unemployment rates, drives reliance on traditional medicine. With evidence of interactions between traditional and conventional medicine, accurate statistics quantifying potential combination use are necessary, to identify possible therapeutically beneficial or harmful combinations. The aim of this study was to investigate combination use of traditional and conventional medicines, among patients in public hospitals. The study further aimed to undertake the in vitro antimicrobial analysis of selected combinations for interactive antimicrobial profiling between conventional antibiotics and traditionally used medicinal plants. Firstly, a descriptive, self-administered survey was provided to consenting patients, in the pharmacy waiting areas, of two public hospitals (Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital (CMJAH) in Johannesburg, and the King Edward VIII Hospital (KEH), in KwaZulu-Natal). Additionally, common traditional medicinal plants used to treat infections, purchased from traditional medicine markets in close proximity to the hospitals, were tested by minimum inhibitory concentration assays in combination with conventional antibiotics, and the fractional inhibitory concentration was calculated. The survey revealed that 24% of CMJAH (n=263) and 32% KEH (n=307) participants, concurrently used traditional and conventional medicine. A number of potentially clinically relevant synergistic and antagonistic interactions were found during the in vitro testing. These interactions may possibly have major implications on patient treatment outcomes. This study emphasises the need for investigating the concurrent use of conventional and traditional medicine in relevant populations.

 

MissingLinkText

Publication History

Article published online:
16 November 2023