Antimicrobial activity of Acacia nilotica subspp. nilotica fruit extracts

The fruit of Acacia nilotica subspp. nilotica is a traditional medicinal remedy, widely used in the Sudan and other Arab countries. Water, ethanol, n-hexane and chloroform extracts were prepared from dried powdered fruit and tested for in-vitro antimicrobial activity against human pathogenic bacteria and Candida albicans, using agar dilution and broth microdilution methods. The extracts had a varying degree of antimicrobial activity. Extracts in water and ethanol were generally more active than those in n-hexane and chloroform. The extracts were more effective against Gram positive cocci than Gram-negative bacilli. Antifungal activity against Candida albicans was found in the n-hexane extract only. The results indicate the therapeutic value of A. nilotica extracts as potential antimicrobial agents.