A Case of Herbal Antimicrobial Chemotherapy of Polymicrobial Infections and Diseases: Preliminary Evaluation and Efficacy of Antimicrobial Activities of Lantana camara Leaf Extracts Against Gastrointestinal Tract and Skin Infections Pathogens.

Lantana camara is a medicinal plant used traditionally to treat infections and diseases. This study investigated the phytochemical constituents and antimicrobial potential of its leaf extracts against clinical pathogens causing gastrointenstinal and skin infections. The leaves were extracted using ethanol, methanol, aqueous solvents and was subjected to qualitative phytochemical screening. The antimicrobial activities of lantana camara leaf extracts was evaluated against some bacterial isolates such as Gram positive: Staphylococcus aureus Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Gram negative: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Salmonella typhi-II, Proetus mirabis, Salmonella dysentrariae, Shigella spp and some clincally selected fungal isolates: Candida albicans, A.niger, by the agar ditch diffusion method. All the extracts, exhibited excellent antimicrobial activity against the tested microbial isolate with inhibition zone within the range of 25.0 - 38.0 mm, in the descending order: methanol > ethanol > aqueous, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging between 62.5 - 250.0 mg/ml and minimum biocidal concentration (MBC) value of 1000.0 mg/ml, indicating time-dependent biostatic activity.These findings suggests that L. camara leaf extract possesses bioactive compounds with potential antimicrobial properties, supporting its ethnomedicinal usages in the herbal treatment and control of infections caused by the pathogens.