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ANTIMICROBIAL POTENTIALS OF FRESH ALLIUM CEPA AGAINST GRAM POSITIVE AND GRAM NEGATIVE BACTERIA AND FUNGI

JEHAN BAKHT^1*, SHEHLA KHAN¹ AND MOHAMMAD SHAFI²

Abstract: Study of the antimicrobial potentials of Allium cepa revealed that all the extracts from both fresh and old samples showed different ranges of antimicrobial activities. Ethyl acetate fraction showed inhibitory activities against all the 8 microbes tested including bacteria and a fungus. Chloroform followed by butanol fraction also inhibited the activity of all the microbes except Pseudomonas aeruginosa which was highly resistant. Petroleum ether fraction was effective at both lower and higher concentration. Ethanol and water sub-fractions were found least effective or ineffective. Among gram positive microbes, Bacillus subtilus was the most susceptible bacteria inhibited by all extracts while the most resistant gram positive bacteria was Staphylococcus aureus.  Erwinia caratovora and Klebsella pneumonia were the most susceptible gram negative bacteria while Pseudomonas aeurginosa and Salmonella typhi were the most resistant bacteria.

¹Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering KPK Agricultural University Peshawar, Pakistan

²Department of Agronomy KPK Agricultural University Peshawar, Pakistan

^*Corresponding author’s e-mail: jehanbakht@yahoo.co.uk