title: Antibacterial activities of selected medicinal plants in traditional treatment of human wounds in Ethiopia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the activity of selected Ethiopian medicinal plants traditionally used for wound treatment against wound-causing bacteria.
  
  
  METHODS
  Samples of medicinal plants (Achyranthes aspera, Brucea antidysenterica, Datura stramonium, Croton macrostachyus, Acokanthera schimperi, Phytolacca dodecandra, Millettia ferruginea, and Solanum incanum) were extracted using absolute methanol and water and tested for their antimicrobial activities against clinical isolates and standard strains of wound-causing bacteria using agar well diffusion and micro titer plate methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most of the plant extracts had antibacterial activities, among which Acokanthera schimperi and Brucea antidysenterica inhibited growth of 100% and 35% of the test organisms, respectively. Methanolic extracts had higher activities compared with their corresponding aqueous extracts. The most susceptible organism to the extracts was Streptococcus pyogens while the most resistant were Escherichia coli and Proteus vulgaris.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This finding justifies the use of the plants in wound healing and their potential activity against wound-causing bacteria. Their toxicity level and antimicrobial activity with different extraction solvents should further be studied to use them as sources and templates for the synthesis of drugs to control wound and other disease-causing bacteria.
authors.affiliation: Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, P.O. Box 1176, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Biruhalem
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Taye
authors.forename: Mirutse
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giday
authors.forename: Abebe
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Animut
authors.forename: Jemal
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Seid
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects*; D005002:Ethiopia; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts
keywords: Agar well diffusion; Antibacterial activity; Ethiopia; Human wounds; Medicinal plants; Micro titer plate; Plant extracts