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ABSTRACT
This work was carried out to exhaustively study the general antimicrobial activities of aqueous and methanolic extracts of Acalypha wilkesiana leaf on five selected bacteria; Escerichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. The methanolic extract of the leaves was obtained using the Soxhlet apparatus. The effect of the aqueous and methanolic extracts of the leaves was tested on the selected bacteria using the agar well diffusion technique. The methanolic extract was found to inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus at 100mg/ml, 50mg/ml and 25mg/ml. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the methanolic extract was found to be 100mg/ml indicating the narrow spectrum activity of the extract. The other isolates for the study were found to be resistant to the extract. Phytochemical screening of the extract revealed the presence of glycosides, eugenols, terpenoids, alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins and saponins while phenolics were absent. The antibiotic susceptibility test revealed S. aureus was susceptible to Gentamycin, Nitrofurantoin and Augmentin and resistant to ceftazidime, Ofloxacin, Ciprofloxacin and Oxacillin. Owing to the abundance of the plant and demonstrated effectiveness, it is recommended A. wilkesiana be used as a cheap and readily available source of skin medication and therapy for staphylococcal infections. Further work on the antimicrobial effect of the leaf extract on other microorganisms is however advocated.
