ABSTRACT

This study was carried out to determine the phytochemical properties and investigate the antibacterial activities of the ethanolic extracts of Manniophyton fulvum and Ricinis communis against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis and Salmonella typhi using disc diffusion method and agar dilution methods. in vitro inhibition was observed in ethanol extract of Manniophyton fulvum which produced inhibition zone of 16 and 14.5 mm against Enterococcus faecalis  and Salmonella typhi respectively, while at a similar concentration for Ricinus communis, zone sizes of 13mm, 14mm and 12mm were produced against S. aureus, E. faecalis and Salmonella typhi respectively. Among the two plant extracts tested, Ricinis communis inhibited Staphylococcus aureus at concentrations of 5000μg/ml and 10,000μg/ml while Manniophyton fulvum did not inhibit S. aureus at a similar concentration. No inhibitory effect by the extracts was observed for E. coli at the concentration of 10000μg/ml, 5000μg/ml and 2000μg/ml. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the plant materials ranged between 12.5mg/ml and 50mg/ml; and 25mg/ml to 100mg/ml for M. fulvum and R. communis respectively. M. fulvum prevented growth of S. typhi at the lowest concentration of 12.5mg/ml. The phytochemical compounds observed in the plant extracts include flavonoids, tannins, terpenoids, saponins, and alkaloids. These findings provide scientific evidence of traditional use of medicinal plants and also indicate the potential of these plants for the development of antimicrobial agents.