DOI: 10.21276/sasjm.2019.5.8.1

Pages: 120-127

This research study aimed at evaluating the antimicrobial potential of ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Vernonia amygdalina (Bitter leaf) on gram positive isolates from renal disease patients in Umuahia Abia State. Using Ilodibia et al. method with modification where the ethanolic and aqueous extracts of the plants were prepared by adding the powdered sample of V. amygdalina in 250 ml of distilled water. The concentration of the extract was determined by adding 50g, 75g, 100g and 150g, each in 250ml of distilled water respectively. The experimental set-up was left for 48 hours at room temperature and thereafter filtered using Whatman filter paper No.1. The extract was then concentrated by heating on water bath at 70°C to 50ml volume of the extract. From this research ethanolic extracts showed higher zones of inhibition than the aqueous extract, this is attributed to the fact that ethanol extracted more of the bioactive component of the plant when compared to aqueous. V. amygdalina exhibited high antibacterial activity on gram positive organisms.The most sensitive Gram positive organism to the ethanolic extract of V. amygdalina is Staph epidermidis (17.85), followed by Strep pneumonia (12.67) then Staph aureus (12.29). The control (Ciprofloxacin) has higher antimicrobial activity in all the isolates.