Abstract

Citrullus colocynthis showed broad spectrum antimicrobial activity against 16 clinical microorganisms isolated from HIV positive patients, including bacteria Viz., Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Klebseilla pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Proteus vulgaris, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus faecalis, Streptococcus pyogenes, Salmonella typhi and Vibrio cholerae; and six fungal strains Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans, Mucor sp., Penicillium sp. and Rhizopus sp. No correlation was observed between susceptibility of the test strains with plant extracts and antibiotic resistance behaviour of the microbial strains. The significant antimicrobial activity of active extracts was compared with the standard tetracycline (30 µg/disc). The results obtained in the present study suggest that C. colocynthiscan be used in treating diseases caused by the test organisms.

Key words: Antimicrobial activity, Bacillus subtilis, Citrullus colocynthis, tetracycline.