Evaluation of the Antibacterial Activity of 14 Medicinal Plants in Cote d'Ivoire

Purpose: To evaluate the antibacterial potentials of fourteen ethnobotanically selected plants traditionally used in different parts of Cote d'Ivoire for the treatment of typhoid fever and gastrointestinal disorders. Method: The antimicrobial activity of the extracts of the plant was tested against a collection strain of Salmonella typhimurium, a clinical strain of Salmonella typhi and Pseudomonas aeruginosa by macrobroth dilution method. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined. Results: All the plants had bactericidal activity against at least one of the test microorganisms with both MIC and MBC ranging from 2.5 to > 80 mg/ml. Among the plant extracts, Terminalia glaucescens. (Combretaceae) Bersama abyssinica subsp. paullinioides (Melianthaceae) and Abrus precatorius (Fabaceae) showed the most promising broad spectrum antibacterial properties, inhibiting all of the strains tested, especially S. Typhi and P. aeruginosa, with MBC ranging from 2.5 to 5 mg/ml. Conclusion: The findings provide support for the use of these plants in traditional medicine for treatment of typhoid fever and gastrointestinal disorders, and are thus, potential sources of drugs that would need to be subjected to further studies.