Survey and Antimicrobial Activity Study of Ethnomedicinal Plants in Selected Districts of North Shewa Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: The emergency of multidrug resistance due to the global burden of infectious diseases and drug misuse leads to an urgent identification of new medicines from medicinal plants. The study was designed to perform the documentation of ethno-medicinal plants usage, extraction, phytochemical screening and antimicrobial activities of the herbal extracts. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was conducted in this study. Maceration of plant extraction, phytochemical screening and disc diffusion method for antimicrobial activity tests were employed. RESULTS: The results of the study indicated that Euphorbiaceae, Lamiaceae and Sapindaceae plant families have commonly used for the treatment of infectious diseases in the study areas. The antimicrobial activity test results indicated that Ostegia integrifolia Benth which was extracted with chloroform solvent showed equivalent inhibition zone as compared to standard drug, gentamicin. All the extracts could be considered as broad spectrum, have strong inhibition against E. coli, K. pneumoniae, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa and C. albicans. All extracts against C. albicans were also revealed strong inhibition activity as compared to fungal standard drug, contamazole. CONCLUSION: Phytochemical screening showed the existence of secondary metabolites in the studied plants and thus, supports the traditional healers’ claim of such plants use for the treatment of diseases. The study also concluded that chloroform extracts of all plants showed promising antimicrobial activities against K. pneumonia, and C. albicans. Therefore, further in vitro and vivo antimicrobial activity study of chloroform extracts against these bacterial and fungal strains were recommended. Moreover, isolation and structural elucidation of bioactive compounds from chloroform extracts were also recommended.