In Vitro and In Vivo Antibacterial and Antifungal Screening of Natural Plant Products: Prospective Standardization of Basic Methods

Abstract

Researchers have conducted tests for antimicrobial activity of natural products by several methods, and a huge collection of results has been generated. However, the lack of standardization of basic methods of investigation has led to accumulation of non-useful data. The diversity of protocols has created divergences among specialists, and often different results are obtained with the same plant extract. Although antimi- crobial tests for natural products have not been standardized by regulatory agencies, in this chapter, we recommend the use of some technical parameters for susceptibility testing reviewed by the Clinical and Laboratories Standards Institute