Antimicrobial Activity of Albizzia Lebbeck Benth against Infectious Diarrhoea

Aim: Medicinal plants are an important therapeutic aid for various ailments. The invitro antimicrobial activity of Albizzia lebbeck. Benth was screened against some pathogens isolated from diarrhoeal patients.Procedure: The bark of the plant was powdered and extracted separately with aqueous, methanol, chloroform, petroleum ether and hexane using maceration technique. The antimicrobial activity was carried out by disc diffusion method and minimum inhibitory concentration by two-fold serial dilution method. The microorganisms tested include Enterotoxigenic E.coli, Enteropathogenic E.coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Salmonella enteritidis, Shigella dysenteria, Shigella flexineri, Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis and Candida krusei. Amikacin 10 μg/disc and fluconazole 10 μg/disc were used as standards.R esults: Aqueous, methanol and chloroform extracts exhibited activity against E.coli and Salmonella species. Petroleum ether and hexane extracts did not exhibit any activity. None of the extracts showed activity against Shigella and Candida species activity.C onclusion: This study revealed that the methanol extracts of Albizzia lebbeck was effective against E.coli and Salmonella strains associated with infectious diarrhoea. Further isolation of active compound responsible for the activity could be the potential sources of new antimicrobial agents