ABSTRACT

This research was aimed at evaluating the antimicrobial properties of Piper guinens is. The leaf was bought from a local market dried and crushed into powder. The Leaf powder was sieved using whatman no.1 filter paper and extracted using two solvents of extraction (ethanol and cold water). The Phytochemicals analyzed for were tannins, saponins, alkaloids, flavonoids, and glycosides using the methods prescribed by Trease and Evans (1989) and Harbone (1998). The antibacterial screening of the ethanolic and aqueous extracts was carried out using two methods Agar Well Diffusion Method and Disk Diffusion Method. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bacterial concentration were determined. The results in this study showed that the leaf extracts of P. guineense inhibited the growth of S. aureus, E. coli and S. typhimurium suggesting its antibacterial activity. Higher antibacterial activity of the extracts was observed against S. typhimurium followed by E. coli and then S. aureus. This study shows that the aqueous extract of P. guineense showed less antibacterial activity than the ethanolic extracts against the pathogenic organisms. Also the agar well diffusion method was known to exhibit higher antibacterial activity on the isolates than the disk diffusion method.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page i

Certification ii

Dedication iii

Declaration iv

Acknowledgements v

Table of Contents vi

Abstract vii

CHAPTER ONE

1.1  Introduction 1

1.2    Aims and Objectives 3

1.3    Limitation of Study 3

CHAPTER TWO

2.0    Literature Review 4

2.1    Scientific Classification 4

2.2    Cultivation and Distribution 4

2.3    Properties 5

2.4    Phytochemicals 5

2.5    Uses 6

2.6    Toxicity 6

2.7    Pathogenesis of Test Organisms 7

2.7.1Escherichia coli 7

2.7.2Staphylococcus aureus 8

2.7.3 Salmonella typhimurium 10

CHAPTER THREE

3.0 Materials and Methods 12

3.1 Collection of Plant Materials 12

3.2    Preparation of Extracts 12

3.3      Sources of Test Organisms 13

3.4      Determination of Antibacterial Activity of Extracts 14

3.5      Determination of Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (Mic) of Extracts 15

3.6    Determination of Minimum Bacterial Concentration 15

3.7    Phytochemical Analysis 16

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0 Results 18

CHAPTER FIVE

5.0 Discussion, Conclusion and Recommendation 28

5.1 Discussion 28

5.2 Conclusion 30

5.3 Recommendation 30

REFERENCES