Bactericidal properties of crude extracts of Mitracarpus villosus

Mature leaves and inflorescence of Mitracarpus villosus, collected from Niger State, Nigeria, were shade dried over a period of 5 days, ground into fine particles in a Waring blender and extracted individually with hot distilled water and 95% ethanol. The crude extracts obtained were tested for their in vitro antibacterial activities using agar diffusion and tube dilution techniques. The extracts produced zones of inhibition (8-23 mm) against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Streptococcus faecalis, while Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteus mirabilis were not inhibited. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the effective extracts were in the range 0.06-8.0 mg/ml, while the minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) were in the range 0.06-32.0 mg/ml. The ethanolic extracts appeared to exert more inhibitory action against the bacteria than the hot water extracts.