Studies on antimicrobial and antifungal activities of ziziphus mauritiana against human clinical bacterial and fungal pathogens

Abstract

The antimicrobial and antifungal activities of crude extracts of Ziziphus mauritiana leaves were investigated against six selected bacterial (Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter, Klebsiella pneumoniae) and one fungal pathogen (Aspergillus niger). The crude extract was further fractionated in butanol, choloroform, n-hexane and methanol. Agar well diffusion and agar dilution assay were employed for determination of zones of inhibition and MICs, respectively, whereas MBC was determined using broth dilution test. The butanol fraction presented encouraging antimicrobial activity (15.0±0.02), while methanol (7.03±0.05) and chloroform (7.0±0.05) fractions emerged with significantly low susceptibility. The n-hexane fraction was recorded as almost inactive (0±0) against all bacterial pathogens. Unlike the antibacterial activities, all fractions possessed momentous antifungal activities except the methanol fraction (0±0). The n-hexane fraction showed widest zone of inhibition (11±0.05) followed by butanol (8.0±0.02) and chloroform (7.0±0.02).