Seed
and leaf extracts of Moringa oleifera
were tested against selected bacterial and fungal pathogens of clinical importance
comparing aqueous and ethylacetate efficacy as solvents of extraction. Agar disc and agar well diffusion methods were employed for
the tested bacteria and fungi respectively. While the bacteria included Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumonia, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella
typhi, the fungal species were Candida
albicans, Aspergillus niger and A. flavus. The in vitro bioassay revealed that the ethylacetate seed extracts
showed better activity compared to the aqueous extracts, with the highest
effectivenessobserved in ethylacetate
extract against E. coli (23mm) and
lowest in aqueous extract against A.
flavus (6 mm). Conclusively, plant parts extracted with ethylacetate
proved to possess more antimicrobial activities than aqueous, thereby
suggesting ethylacetate as an effective solvent in the extraction of active
phytochemical compounds.