Abstract

The antimicrobial activity of the petroleum ether and methanolic extracts from the Strobilanthes ciliatus Nees was evaluated against three gram positive (Bacillus subtilis, Corynebacterium, Micrococcus luteus) and three gram negative (Escherichia coli, Salmonella paratyphi, Klebsiella pneumonia) bacterial strains and three fungal strains (Trichophyton rubrum, Microsporum gypseum, Monascus purpureus). The antimicrobial activity was assessed by disc diffusion method and also MIC value was determined by serial dilution method. The Methanolic extract was more active against all the microbes with MIC value of 250μg/ml except M.purpureus (500μg/ml). In petroleum ether extract maximum activity perceived on bacteria E. coli, K. pneumonia and Corynebacterium with MIC value of 125μg/ml and amongst fungi M.purpureus with 250μg/ml. The petroleum ether extract of S. ciliatus exhibited significant antibacterial and antifungal activity against the tested microbes