Phytochemical and Antibacterial Activities of Vitellaria paradoxa Stem Bark and Root Extracts against Some Clinical Isolates of Respiratory Tract Infections

Respiratory tract infections continue to be the most frequent and important cause of short term illnesses that compel an individual to seek medical attention both in developing and developed world. It is typically the first infection to occur after birth. Many bacterial species have been reported to develop resistance to antibiotics commonly prescribed for respiratory tract infections. Therefore, the need to search for natural products for remedy of this problem cannot be overemphasized. The methanol and aqueous extracts of Vitellaria paradoxa stem bark and root was carried out using cold maceration extraction method. Phytochemical screening was carried out using the standard methods. Agar well diffusion, agar dilution and spread plate methods were employed to determine the zone of inhibition, minimum inhibitory concentration, minimum bactericidal concentration and rate of kill respectively. The two extracts showed broad spectrum of activity but the aqueous extract had larger zones of inhibition ranging from 17 mm – 23 mm and lower M.I.C and M.B.C values ranging from 6.25 mg/ml – 12.5 mg/ml. Phytochemical screening of methanol and aqueous extracts of Vitellaria paradoxa stem bark and root showed the presence of phenol, alkaloid, saponins, tannins, steroids, triterpenes, flavonoids and carbohydrate as secondary metabolites. This study has justified the traditional use of Vitellaria paradoxa stem bark and root in the treatment of respiratory tract infection caused by bacteria