A study on the biocidal potentials of stem bark extract of Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) on some selected bacterial strains

Leucaena leucocephala is a fast-growing leguminous plant this is used in the treatment of intestinal diseases and as birth control. This work was geared toward investigating the phytochemical attributes and the antimicrobial actions of methanol and distilled water crude extracts from the stem bark of Leucaena leucocephala in the ratio of 3:2 on nineteen bacterial species. The antimicrobial activity of the plant extract was done with the use of the agar diffusion technique in line with the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards. The extract was located to be energetic against sixteen bacterial traces at a concentration of 35 mg/mL except for Bacillus anthracis, Clostridium sporogenes, andPseudomonas fluorescens. The zones of inhibition exhibited by means of the extract towards the organisms ranged from 10.00 mm to 20.00 mm. The MIC exhibited by the extract ranged from 2.19 mg/ml to 8.75mg/ml while the MBC ranged from 4.38 mg/ml to 17.5 mg/ml. The effects of the extract on bacterial species were compared with the use of selected antibiotics such as streptomycin, and ampicillin. The phytochemical parts of the extract include tannins, glycosides, alkaloids, phenols, and terpenoids. Results from this research confirmed that the stem bark extract of Leucaena leucocephala exhibited antimicrobial activity against the selected bacteria and support the usefulness of this plant in folklore treatments.