Antimicrobial activity of Azadirachta indica A. Juss (neem) crude leaf extract

Crude leaf extracts of Azadirachta indica A. Juss (neem) are found to have antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Bacillus subtilis, Staphyloccocus epidermidis), Gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Escherichia coli) and fungi (Candida albicans, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Microsporum gympseum. Extracts diluted with acetone are also found effective against all test organisms. It was noted that even pure acetone can inhibit the growth of these test organisms. On the other hand, extracts diluted with distilled water show antimicrobial activity only at high extract concentrations (75 %)