title: Antimicrobial activity of some plants used for the treatment of livestock disease in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.
abstract: Approximately 75% of rural livestock owners in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa use plants or plant based remedies to treat their livestock. Prominent among these plants are Combretum caffrum, Salix capensis and Schotia latifolia. Water, methanolic and acetonic extracts as well as decoctions of the three plants were screened against ten bacteria and five fungi. The results of the antibacterial assay indicated significant activity against all the Gram-positive bacteria tested with the minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 5.0 mg/ml. A few of the extracts showed minimal activity, but the majority of extracts were not active on the Gram-negative bacteria. Generally, all the extracts showed some antifungal activity against the five test fungi. Methanolic extracts exhibited higher fungal growth inhibition, whereas the water extracts showed the least inhibition. It was noteworthy that some water extracts promoted fungal growth.
authors.affiliation: ARDRI, University of Fort Hare, P/Bag X 1314, 5700, Alice, South Africa.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Masika
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Afolayan
mesh_terms: D000820:Animal Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D029765:Combretum; D007887:Fabaceae; D005658:Fungi / Q000187:drug effects*; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects*; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects*; D016488:Medicine, African Traditional; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008517:Phytotherapy; D024301:Plant Bark; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D032108:Salix; D013019:South Africa
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts