title: A screening for antimicrobial activities of Caribbean herbal remedies.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The TRAMIL program aims to understand, validate and expand health practices based on the use of medicinal plants in the Caribbean, which is a "biodiversity hotspot" due to high species endemism, intense development pressure and habitat loss. The antibacterial activity was examined for thirteen plant species from several genera that were identified as a result of TRAMIL ethnopharmacological surveys or were reported in ethnobotanical accounts from Puerto Rico. The aim of this study was to validate the traditional use of these plant species for the treatment of bacterial infections, such as conjunctivitis, fever, otitis media and furuncles.
  
  
  METHODS
  An agar disc diffusion assay was used to examine five bacterial strains that are associated with the reported infections, including Staphylococcus saprophyticus (ATCC 15305), S. aureus (ATCC 6341), Escherichia coli (ATCC 4157), Haemophilus influenzae (ATCC 8142), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 7700) and Proteus vulgaris (ATCC 6896), as well as the fungus Candida albicans (ATCC 752). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values were determined for each of the extracts that showed inhibitory activity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The decoctions of Pityrogramma calomelanos, Tapeinochilus ananassae, and Syzygium jambos, as well as the juice of Gossypium barbadense, showed > 20% growth inhibition against several bacteria relative to the positive control, which was the antibiotic Streptomycin. Extracts with the best antimicrobial activities were S. jambos that showed MIC = 31 μg/mL and MBC = 1.0 mg/mL against P. vulgaris and T. ananassae that showed MIC = 15 μg/mL against S. aureus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This report confirms the traditional use of P. calomelanos for the treatment of kidney infections that are associated with stones, as well as the antimicrobial and bactericidal effects of T. ananassae against P. vulgaris and S. saprophyticus and the effects of S. jambos against S. aureus and S. saprophyticus.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Interdisciplinary Research, University of Puerto Rico, Cayey, #205 Antonio R, Barceló Ave, Cayey, PR 00736, Puerto Rico.
authors.forename: Claribel
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Luciano-Montalvo
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Boulogne
authors.forename: Jannette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gavillán-Suárez
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D017691:Caribbean Region; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts