Phytochemical and Chromatographic Studies of the Polar Extracts of the Leaves of Cassia alata Linn.

The dried leaves of cassia alata Linn were pulverized and extracted successively with hexane, ethylacetate, methanol and water in that order. Phytochemical screening of the methanol extract and water extract (polar extracts) showed that both extracts contained anthraquinones, flavonoids and saponins. Methanol extract, however, contained terpenes in addition to those mentioned above. Thin layer chromatography gave three fractions for each of the extracts. The Rf values for methanol extract fractions Me1, Me2, Me3 and water extract fractions We1, We2, We3 were 0.402, 0.646, 0.744and 0.333, 0.583, 0.833 respectively.  Crude extracts as well as the purified fractions were tested on five bacteria (Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Streptococcus pneumonia, Yesinia enterocolitica and Shiggela sonnei) and two fungi pathogens (Microsporum audouinii and Trichophyton mentagrophyte). Methanol fraction Me3, accounted for the antifungal activity while water fractions We2 and We3 accounted for the antibacterial activity. Key Words: Cassia alata, antibacterial activity, anthraquinone, purgative

Bacteria organisms in grow out Clarias gariepinus mortality in Jos Area

The investigation of bacteria in grow-out catfish was carried out from February to June, 2008. 100 dead Clarias gariepinus were collected from ten ponds (A-J) distributed in Jos and its environs. Results from the various ponds showed that Escherichia coli were present in all the location found, while 87.0% of the total samples obtained were positive with bacteria isolates. The isolates were shown to include Aeromonas species (11.5%), Escherichia coli (35.6%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (15.0%), Streptococcus faecalis (13.8%) and Klebsiella aerogenes (18.4%) of which pond F had 16.1 % of bacteria organisms while ponds B, G and H were both 9.2%, respectively