Antibacterial Screening and Phytochemical investigation of bark extracts of Acacia jacquemontii Benth.

Acacia  jacquemontii was  assessed  for  active  principles  to  ascertain  the  rationale  for  its  use  in  traditional medicine. Preliminary phytochemical screening of the stem bark extracts showed that it possessed the active principles - alkaloids, glycosides, saponins, terpenoids and tannins. The antimicrobial activity of the extracts was assayed against pathogenic strains of Bacillus cereus, Bacillus pumilus , Escherichia coli , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Staphylococcus aureus , S. pyrogenes , and Candida albcans using  the agar diffusion method. The plant extract exhibited antimicrobial activity against all the test microorganisms. B. cereus and B. pumilus were the most susceptible to the plant extract while Candida albicans was the most resistant. The minimum inhibitory  concentration  of  the  stem  bark  extract  of  the  plant  ranged  between  30  and  50 mg/ml while  the minimum bactericidal concentration ranged between 35 and 60 mg/ml. A. jacquemontii could be a potential source of antimicrobial agents.  Key words: Antibacterial; Antifungal; Baonli; Medicinal plants.  DOI: 10.3329/sjps.v2i2.2384 Stamford Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Vol.2(2) 2009: 21-26