Abstract

In the Mediterranean region, Varthemia iphionoides is commonly used in folk medicine for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. The present study described the antimicrobial activity of the methanolic extract of V. iphionoides leaves. The extract was assayed against a panel of pathogenic bacteria and fungi using agar well diffusion method. The antibacterial activity of the methanolic extract was investigated against six standard bacterial species and was found to exhibit high antibacterial activity. The most sensitive bacterium was Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 13883 followed by Proteus vulgaris ATCC 13315 and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 95047. The least sensitive bacterium to V. iphionoides methanolic extract was Escherichia coli O157:H7 ATCC43895. Antifungal susceptibility of 13 fungal species was tested against V. iphionoides methanolic extract. Among the fungal species studied, Fusarium lini was the most sensitive and Beauveria bassiana was the most resistant to the extract. Good antifungal activity has been displayed by the methanolic extract of V. iphionoides against Aspergillus brasiliensis, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus alliaceus, Aspergillus flavus, Cunninghamella echinulata, Gibberella fujikuroi, Macrophomina phaseolina, Cephalosporum aphidicola, Rhizoupus stolonifer, Curvularia lunata and Cunninghamella elegans. The observed antimicrobial potential of V. iphionoides indicated that this plant possesses bioactive compounds that are able to combat pathogenic microorganisms and support its traditional use in the treatment of pathogen infection.

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