Comparative Study of Antibacterial Activities of the Fresh and Dried Fruit of Capsicum Species

The fresh and dried fruit extracts of Capsicum species were screened for antibacterial activities against Staph. aureus, S. typhi and B. subtilis using two assay methods. The filter disk and agar plate diffusion were the assay methods employed in the study. The results of the study revealed that the extracts obtained from the fresh tissue of C. annuum and C. longum more potently inhibited the growth of Staph. aureus and S. typhi. Furthermore, they were more active against these pathogenic organisms when the filter disc was used as the assay method. However, the extracts obtained from either the dried or fresh tissue of C. frustescens, C. pubescens and C. grossum demonstrated no activities against the tested organisms in the two assay methods used. Key Words: Fresh fruit, Capsicum species, antibacterial spectrum. Nig. J. Health and Biomed. Sciences Vol.2(2) 2003: 90-9