Vol. 45, No. 1, 2001 content next

THE ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF SOME PLANTS USED FOR MEDICINAL PURPOSES AGAINST PATHOGENS OF VETERINARY IMPORTANCE

Keleş, O., Bakırel, T., Ak, S. *, Alpmar, A. **

Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
Istanbul University
Avcılar, Istanbul
TURKEY		 * Department of Microbiology
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
Istanbul University
Avcılar, Istanbul
TURKEY		 ** Department of BotanyTURKEY
Faculty of Science
Istanbul University
Süleymaniye
34460, Istanbul
TURKEY

Summary

The antibacterial action of the ethanolic extracts from seven medicinal plants, Cichorium intybus (roots), Hypericum perforatum (flowers), Marrubium vulgare (aerial parts), Origanum vulgare (leaves), Malva sylvestris (leaves, flowers), Galium odoratum (aerial parts), and Urtica dioica (aerial parts), traditionally used for aliments associated with microbial infections in livestock, were tested. The agar diffusion and dilution methods were used to assess the activity against seven bacteria: Salmonella enteritidis, Salmonella gallinarum, Streptococcus dysgalactiae, Streptococcus agalactiae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli.
All the extracts tested exhibited antibacterial action against Staphylococcus aureus, the most susceptible bacterium, with significant differences in action between the different plants. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Hypericum perforatum showing the highest antibacterial action was 0.12 mg/ml, whereas, the MIC values of other extracts ranged from 1 to 4 mg/ml. None of the extracts inhibited the growth of Streptococcus dysgalactiae.
We conclude that plant extracts with low MIC values may serve as sources for compounds with therapeutic potency.

Key words: plant; MIC; bacteria

References

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Folia Veterinaria / 2001