A comparative study of the antibacterial activity of aristida pungens desf leaves; its synergic effect with some of standard antimicrobs

The present work is aimed mainly to investigate and compare the antibacterial activities of methanol, diethyl ether and ethyl acetate extracts of Aristida pungens Desf. leaves, and their synergic effect with some standard antibiotics on Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Proteus mirabilis and Staphylococcus aureus using well diffusion method. Results for antibacterial activity as obtained with Aristida pungens Desf plant revealed that the three different extracts tested showed weak bacterial activity against all the bacteria tested (Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Staphylococcus aureus). The addition of all extracts to each of the standard antimicrobics, CZ, VA, and CN on the bacteria tested (Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Staphylococcus aureus) showed either indifference or antagonism effects except the synergic effect of methanol extract on Proteus mirabilis and Escherichia coli with VA decreased respectively the area diffusion of bacteria from 100% to 99%. The results partially do not justify the claimed uses of the selected plant in the traditional system of medicine to treat various infectious diseases caused by the microbes. Further chemical and pharmacological investigations may be carried out to isolate and identify the chemical constituents in order to justify the claimed uses such as the treatment of anemia in the natural herbal treatments (folk medicine).