Abstract

The anti-bacterial activity of methanol and n-hexane extracts of Moringa oleifera andMoringa stenopetala seeds was conducted on 3 bacterial species (Salmonella typhii, Vibrio cholerae and Escherichia coli) which normally cause water borne diseases. The paper disc diffusion method was used with treatments arranged in a completely randomized design and replicated four times. The highest inhibitions were observed at dilutions of 20, 5 and 40% for M. oleifera and M. stenopetala methanol extracts on E. coli,S. typhi and V. cholerae respectively. The n-hexane extract of both M. oleifera and M. stenopetala had a higher inhibition on S. typhii than V. cholerae and E. coli. The results of this study showed that M. oleifera and M. stenopetala had a degree of antibacterial properties especially in low doses.

Key words: Moringa oleifera, Moringa stenopetala, methanol and n-hexane extracts, inhibition, Salmonella typhii, Vibrio cholera, Escherichia coli, Kenya.