Twenty seven plant species were tested against 13 clinical bacterial pathogens, using disc diffusion assay for antibacterial activity. Only 18 plants exhibited antibacterial activity against either one or more pathogens. Aerva lanata was most effective in bioactivity against a maximum of eight bacterial species with inhibition zone that ranged from 1 to 15 mm: 15 mm against Streptococcus faecalis; 10 mm - Proteus vulgaris; 6 mm - Salmonella typhi; 5 mm - Bacillus subtilis; 3 mm - β Strepococcus; 2 mm - Vibrio cholerae & Proteus mirabilis; and 1 mm against Klebsiella pneumoniae. Another plant species, Vitex trifoliata also showed high antibacterial activity with inhibition zone that varied from 4 to 9 mm: 9 mm against Escherechia coli; 8 mm - Staphylococcus aureus; 7 mm - β Streptococcus; 5 mm - V. cholerae; 4.5 mm - Klebsiella sp.; and, 4 mm against K. Pneumoniae. These results are useful for rationalizing the use of medicinal plants in established systems of traditional medicine in primary health care.
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