IN-VITRO EVALUATION OF ANTIBACTERIAL AND ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITIES OF MEDICINAL PLANT BAUHINIA VAHLII

The present study evaluated the antibacterial and antifungal activities of the medicinal plant Bauhinia vahlii. The antibacterial and antifungal activities of vacuum dried ethanol extract of the stem and leaves of Bauhinia vahlii (EEBVS and EEBVL) were performed using the Disc diffusion method. The antibacterial and antifungal activities recorded significant effects against five bacterial strains, including Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi and two fungal strains, including Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger. The ethanol extracts of Bauhinia vahlii stem and leaves were showed the significant antibacterial effect of different bacterial strains and antifungal activity of fungal strains in the ethanol extract of stem (14 mm) but more activity observed in the ethanol extract of leaves (17 mm) in the Escherichia coli bacterial strain against different bacterial strains as compared to standard drug Amikacin (19 mm) whereas more potent in ethanol extracts of leaves (19 mm) in the fungal strain Candida albicans as compared to standard drug fluconazole (21 mm) as observed by zones of inhibitions (ZOI). Therefore, the EEBVL was found to have more potent antifungal activities of the fungal strain against the bacterial strain as observed by zones of inhibitions.