Journal of Microbial & Biochemical Technology

Abstract

The Antimicrobial Activity of Leaf Extracts of Myrtus communis

Besufekad SY, Mekdes M, Abebech M, Delesa D, Tekalign D, Demitu K and Birtukan B

Myrtus communis is medicinal plant with the common name known as “Ades” in Ethiopia. Despite of its antimicrobial uses, there is limited study on antimicrobial activities of essential oil against pathogenic bacterial and fungi strains. The objective of the study is to investigate antibacterial and anti-fungal activity of Myrtus communis against pathogenic bacterial strains including; Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi and Staphylococcus aureus; fungi strains including Fusarium oxysporium and Asparegillus niger. The antibacterial activity was performed in vitro using agar disc diffusion assay and diameter of zone of inhibition was measured. The experiment was prepared in completely randomized design (CRD) with three replication. Calculations of antibacterial and antifungal activity were determined by mean value and standard deviation. Among all the extracts of n-hexane and methanolic extracts showed maximum antibacterial activity against E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus strain with a zone of inhibition ranges from 5.67-5.5 mm and the least activity was observed in chloroform and methanol extract with zone of inhibition range from 1-2.2 mm against Staphylococcus aureus. The test results were compared with standard antibiotics Chloramphenicol. On the hand chloroform possessed higher antifungal activity on Fusarium oxysporium with zone of inhibition value of 15.16 mm and the least zone of inhibition obtained from Methanol with zone of inhibition value of 4.75 mm. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was conduct only for n-hexane extract because of its higher inhibition value than other solvents. The MIC value ranges from 3.125 mg/mL to 12.5 mg/mL. The results suggest that n-hexane and methanolic extracts of Myrtus communiscan be used in the treatment of infection caused by E.coli and Staphylococcus aureus strains and chloroform extract also used in the treatment of infection caused by Fusarium oxysporium.