International Journal of Biochemistry Research & Review

Bacterial skin infections are common in the tropics and the emergence of resistant bacterial strains has complicated treatment outcomes especially in immune compromised patients. This study focused on determining the antibacterial activity and preliminary phytochemical screening of the plant, Burkea Africana, which has been used for decades to treat various ailments in Southern Africa. Phyto-constituent determination and antibacterial assay was carried out on the hydro-ethanolic and aqueous leaf extracts of Burkea Africana. The Agar well diffusion method was used to investigate the antibacterial efficacy of both extracts. Activity was measured against P. aeruginosa, E. coli, S. aureus and E. faecalis using ciprofloxacin as the standard. For both extracts, phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of steroids, tannins, saponins and carbohydrates. The 70% hydro-ethanolic extract however revealed more phyto-constituents including flavonoids and alkaloids. For both extracts antibacterial activity was comparable to the standard. The highest zone of inhibition recorded for the water extract was 22±0.4 mm at 500 mg/ml for E. coli while the standard, Ciprofloxacin had a zone of inhibition of 25±0.33 mm. The ethanolic extract showed higher antibacterial efficacy when compared to ciprofloxacin against S. aureus. The zone of inhibition for the 70% ethanolic extract was 25.4±0.50 mm and that of the standard was 27±0.48 mm. Antibacterial activity was generally higher in the ethanolic extract than the water extract. It is therefore concluded that B. africana exhibits antibacterial activity.