Purpose: The antimicrobial activity of the 90 % ethanol extract of the aerial parts of
sida acuta
Burm. F. (Malvaceae) was investigated in other to verify its claimed ethno medicinal use in the treatment of microbial infections.
Method: The antimicrobial activity of the extract was tested against standard strains and clinical isolates of some aerobic bacteria and a fungus using the Agar well diffusion method. Commercial antibiotics were used as positive reference standards to determine the sensitivity of the strains.
Results: The extracts showed significant inhibitory activity against standard strains and clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, clinical isolates of Bacillus subtilis and Streptococcus faecalis. The MIC values obtained using the Agar-dilution test ranged from 5.0 mg/ml. -10.0 mg/ml. Neither the concentrated extract nor its dilutions inhibited
Escherichia coli
,
Klebsiella pneumonia
,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
and
Candida albicans
Conclusion: The results demonstrate that the crude extract of the aerial parts of
Sida acuta has a narrow spectrum of activity and suggest that it may be useful in the treatment of infections caused by Gram positive aerobic bacteria.
