Antibacterial activity of dioscorea hispida collected around UMK Campus Jeli

The purpose of this study was to observe the antibacterial activity of the tuber of D. hispida against two gram- positive bacteria (Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus subtilis) and two gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Shigella boydii). The tuber extracts of D. hispida were prepared by using methanol with different concentrations. Chloramphenicol has been used as antibiotic agent and act as positive control while methanol solvent act as negative control. The antibacterial activities of extracts were evaluated using the disk diffusion method and the inhibition zones around the disk were measured in millimeters. The results of this study showed positive results against both gram- positive bacteria species while there were no activity against both species of gram- negative bacteria tested. The highest antibacterial activity have been shown by bacteria Bacillus subtilis at the highest concentration 200 mg / ml with the diameter of zone inhibition (10.0±0.0 mm) followed by bacteria Enterococcus faecalis (9.0±0.0 mm). Based on the results, it is clear that the tuber extracts have great potential as antimicrobial compounds for the treatment of bacterial infections, especially for gram-positive bacteria species. However, there is a need of further research especially the method to investigate the effect of extracts towards gram-negative bacteria.