Survey of Antimicrobial Effect on Bacteria by Appalachian Angiosperms

Poster

Video Presentation

Abstract

This work aims to identify potential antimicrobial activity in plants and fungi harvested in East Tennessee against human oral flora or environmental flora under both aerobic and anaerobic incubation conditions. For each test batch, four plates were prepared containing identical chopped crude plant and fungal samples in 22 of 24 wells of 24 well sterile disposable culture plates. Sterile agar was then poured in each of the twenty four wells. Two plates were inoculated with environmental sample (water from the Powell River) and  two with oral flora (salivary specimen obtained via rinsing the oral cavity with water) In each plate, the first well was not inoculated to serve as a negative control, the second was inoculated but contained no crude specimen to serve as a positive control. One plate of each inoculum was incubated under aerobic and the other under anaerobic conditions. The largest inhibition of bacterial activity was observed in both the leaves and stem of Passiflora incarnata, seed, leaf and blossom of Polymnia uvedalia, fruit of Maianthemum racemosa, blossom of Aurerolaria virginica, Juglans nigra, and the Laportea candensis blossoms.  Further investigation of the components and constituents that contribute to antimicrobial effects is necessary.