Background: More than 80% of all common disease in Ethiopia is of infectious origin. Traditional medicine plays a great role in combating this disease. Dichrocepala integrifolia (L.f) O.kuntze is one of the traditional remedies used for treatment of wound infection.
Objective: To screen the major phytochemical constituents and evaluate antibacterial activity tests of leaf extracts of Dichrocephala integrifolia (L.f.) O. kuntze.
Methods: experimental study involving gradient extraction, disc diffusion and broth dilution were conducted. Phytochemical screenings were also done to assess the presence of major secondary metabolites.
Result: Chloroform extracts were the most effective where as ethanol extract were the least effective. S. typhi and pseudomonas aeruginosa were found to be the most sensitive and resistant microorganisms to all extract used at all test concentration, respectively. Accordingly from all test strains, S.typhi was inhibited by the minimum concentration of chloroform extract (MIC=125mg/ml).
Conclusion and Recommendation: In general the antimicrobial activity of the plant observed here support the tradition therapeutic claim of the society. Further study should be conducted in further evaluating its antimicrobial effectiveness and also purification of the active chemical constituents that could be responsible for its biological activity.
Key words: Antibacterial activity, phytochemical screening, disc diffusion, broth dilution, Dichrocepala integrifolia
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