Antibacterial Efficacy of Acacia nilotica (L.) Pods Growing in Sudan against Some Bacterial Pathogens

Abstract

Acacia nilotica is a plant native to the Nile basin region, widely spread in central and northern parts of Sudan. It has been mentioned in Sudanese folk medicine to be effective against a variety of diseases. The methanol extract of the pods of Acacia nilotica was tested against four human bacterial pathogens using disc diffusion method, MIC and MBC tests. The results revealed that the extract exhibited a broader spectrum of antibacterial activity and revealed potent bactericidal effect at high concentrations (up to 100 mg/ml) and bacteriostatic at lower concentrations (as low as 12.5 mg/ml). In general, all tested bacteria were susceptible, however the tested gram positives (Bacillus cereus ATCC 11778 and Staphylococcus aureus) were much more susceptible than the gram negatives (Escherichia coli and Acinetobacter baumannii), supporting the traditional medical application and suggest it as a source for new antibacterial drugs.