In vitro antibacterial activity of leaves extracts of Bougainvillea and Ziziphus nummularia against Rhodococcus equi

Abstract

The experiment aimed to assess the in vitro bactericidal activity of ethanolic, chloroformic, and Sequentially Extracted Water Extract (SEWE) derived from the leaves of Bougainvillea and Ziziphus nummularia (Burm. f.) Wight & Arn. (also known as Jhar ber / jhar beri / wild jujube / Indian jujube). The ethanolic leaves extract of Bougainvillea and Ziziphus nummularia showed no action against positive Rhodococcus equi strains Vap A and Vap C in the initial screening conducted using the disc diffusion method. When compared to the antibiotics already in use, namely azithromycin and rifampicin, the ethanolic leaves extract of these plants did not exhibit any antibacterial action against R. equi in laboratory tests. Nevertheless, the ample abundance of plant leaves indicates the need for additional investigation on the antibacterial activity demonstrated in vitro using different solvents against R. equi.