Screening of Higher Plants for Biological Activities I. Antimicrobial Activity

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Abstract
Plants of 43 families, encompassing 100 species and selected on the basis of literature data and medicinal folklore reports are being studied in a broad screening programme. A total of 428 extracts are being evaluated for antimicrobial, antiviral, antiparasitic and pharmacological activities. In this communication, the biological test methods for screening plants for antibacterial and antifungal activities in vitro are described. The results of the testing showed that 84 % and 75 % of the plants respectively exhibited some level of antibacterial and antifungal action; 17 % of the latter were found to be inhibitory towards the yeast Candida albicans and 83 % inhibited filamentous fungi to varying degrees.