Abstract

Antibacterial therapeutic failure due to emergence of resistant bacterial strain is a world wide phenomenon. The search for effective antibacterial substances from sources such as plants has become a necessity to overcome emergent of bacterial resistant in clinical practice. The dried leaves and stem barks of Ficus sycomorusand Ficus platyphylla were collected in Samaru-Zaria, Nigeria in July 2006 and extracted with 70% aqueous ethanol at room temperature. The antibacterial activities such as susceptibility, Minimum inhibitory concentrations (M.I.C.) and the minimum bactericidal concentrations (M.B.C.) were determined using appropriate methods. Using the same concentration of the two test plants extracts, the zones of inhibition showed by F. sycomorus ranged between 11.5 - 21.5 mm while that of F. platyphylla was from 17.0 - 22.0 mm. The values of the M.I.C and M.B.C of F. sycomorus were 1.95, 31.3 and 3.91, 250 mg/ml, respectively. Similarly, F. platyphylla displayed 1.95 and 7.81 mg/ml M.I.C. values and 3.91 to 62.5 mg/ml M.B.C. values against the test organisms. The observed antibacterial activities in this study proved that the leaves and stem bark extracts of Ficus spp. obtained in Zaria support the forcloric claims of the use of Ficus plants in the treatment of ailment such as wound dressing.

Key words: Antibacterial activity, medicinal plants, bacterial resistance, Ficus spp.