Bahareh Mirzaei - Department of Microbiology, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Medicinal plants produce several antibacterial compounds. These plants are well known for their medicinal value and are widely used in community for the treatment of various diseases. In this study 5 different medicinal plants (Azadirachta indica, Ficus religiosa, Acacia nilotica, Linum usitatissimum and Rosa damascene), traditionally used in medicine, were subjected to preliminary screening for antimicrobial potential against four pathogenic microorganisms (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus species) isolated from patients with urinary tract infections (UTI). Multi drug resistant (MDR) gram negative pathogenic microorganisms were selected out of isolated UTI pathogens. Aqueous extracts of each plant were prepared and tested for their antibacterial potential using agar well diffusion method. The results indicated that all plant extracts exhibit antibacterial activity against test pathogens. Azadirachta indica showed excellent and broad spectrum activity as compared to rest of four plant extracts. This study highlights the need to exploit the antibacterial potential of these plants for development of new antibiotics.

Medicinal plant, Ficus religiosa, Acacia nilotica, Multi drug resistant