Juniperus phoenicea (Family: Cupressaceae) is an evergreen tree widely distributed in North Africa including Algeria. The aim of this investigation was to analyse the antimicrobial potential of essential oils from J. phoenicea on Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumonia, Streptococcus sp, Bacillus sp and Candida albicans using wells and discs diffusion methods. Broth dilution method was utilized to study the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC). The results showed a variable degree of antimicrobial activity. The diameters of inhibition zones for all test organisms were in the ranges of 7–21 mm, while MIC was from 62.5 to >500µl/ml and MBC from 250 to >500µl/ml. The highest antimicrobial activities were observed against Gram positive bacteria followed by Gram negative ones then Candida albicans. The findings provide the evidence that J. phoenicea as a good medicinal plant for further investigations.
Key words: Juniperus phoenicea, essential oils, microorganisms, antimicrobial activity
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