Antimicrobial Activity of Muntingia calabura Leaf Extracts against Human Pathogens

The present study is to determine the in vitro antimicrobial activity of Muntingia calabura (Elaeocarpaceae) leaf extracts against a selected panel of microorganisms. Antimicrobial testing was carried out using the agar well diffusion assay method. The microbes targeted were Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus faecalis, E.coli, P. aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumonia, C. albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans. Results of this study showed that the methanol extract of M. calabura leaves produced inhibition zones against S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, E.coli, Klebsiella pneumonia and Cryptococcus neoformans with inhibition zone of 1.5, 1.6, 1.5, 1.5 and 1.5 cm respectively. The chloroformand petroleum ether extracts showed comparatively less zone of inhibition against the selected pathogens. Finally, we concluded that M. calabura possesses a potential antibacterial property and the results also suggest the presence of more potent polar antibacterial compound in the Muntingia calabura plant material.