Screening for antimicrobial activity of plants used in traditional medicine

Abstract

Infectious diseases, the leading cause of premature deaths in the world, are killing almost 50.000 people every day.1 Despite the existence of a wide variety of antibacterial agents, the treatment of infectious diseases is a frequent problem in modern-day-medicine due to a significant increase of bacterial resistance to several antibiotics.2 One way to prevent antibiotic resistance is using new compounds that are not based on existing synthetic antimicrobial agents.3 Plants contain numerous biologically active compounds, many of which have shown to have antimicrobial properties.4 In fact, they are among the most important common sources of potentially valuable new drugs. People still use plants to treat a variety of diseases including bacterial infections. This is particularly important in places where modern medicines are too expensive for local population, which is the case in Africa.2 However, it is necessary to evaluate the scientific base for the therapeutic actions of traditional plant medicines. In this communication, we are reporting on the in vitro antimicrobial activity of some plants used in traditional medicine in Africa.