Antibacterial activity observed in the seeds of some coprophilous plants

Abstract

Seeds of 40 plant species, which were frequently observed growing on cattle dung heaps were screened for their antibacterial properties against Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas cichorii and Salmonella typhimurium. Antibacterial activities were observed in the seeds of 36 species. The seeds of a large majority of these antibacterial positive plant species were active against P. cichorii (97%), B. subtilis (83%), S. typhimurium (69%) and E. coli (55%). The seeds of Citrullus vulgaris, Cajanus cajan, Sida acuta, Boerhaavia diffusa, Eclipta alba, Echinochloa crusgalli and Achyranthes aspera showed relatively large inhibition zones. © Swets & Zeitlinger.