Journal of Biochemistry International

The increase of multidrug resistance to antibiotics has warranted search for other alternatives. Therefore, a study was conducted to evaluate antibacterial activity of J. palmata aqueous root extracts against Escherichia coli, Salmonella species, Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus using disk-diffusion agar method. The bacterial cultures were exposed to six different concentration of root extract: 5, 10, 15 and 20 µg/mL while Ciprofloxacin antibiotic (5 µg/mL) and sterile distilled water were used as positive and negative controls, respectively in a completely randomized design in four replicates. The results showed that there were significant differences (P<0.001) among the effectiveness of J. palmata aqueous root extract concentrations in terms of bacteria growth. The higher the concentration of J. palmata root aqueous extract the higher the bacterial growth inhibition. The most effective J. palmata root aqueous extract concentration was 20µg/mL as it recorded the highest mean zone of inhibition (19.55±0.69). The results further revealed that Salmonella species, S. aureus and E. coli were the most sensitive bacteria types whereas E. faecalis showed resistance to J. palmata aqueous root extract. Therefore, J. palmata root aqueous extract may provide a valuable antimicrobial agent for counteracting infectious diseases caused by E. coli, S. aureus and Salmonella species.