Antifungal efficacy of crude extracts of Azadirachta indica and Vernonia amygdalina against pathogenic Aspergillus niger (ATCC 16404)

This research work was conducted to assess the potency of ethanolic and hot water extract of Azadirachta indica and Vernonia amygdalina against pathogenic Aspergillus niger (ATCC 16404). Potato Dextrose Agar was the medium under which the antimicrobial sensitivity test was carried out. Streptomycin solution was also added to the medium to selectively inhibit the growth of bacterial cell. The results showed that, higher concentration of the extracts of the two plants species were efficient in stifling the growth of A. niger. This was evident as the inhibition zones increased with increasing concentration of the extracts. The results also showed that ethanolic extract of A. indica and V. amygdalina is a bit potent than the hot water extracts against the fungus species ATCC 16404. The results revealed that, the areas of inhibitions at the same concentrations were found to be slightly high in ethanolic extracts than that of hot water extracts. Key words: Antifungal, Azadirachta indica, Vernonia amygdalina, Aspergillus niger.