Antibacterial Effects of Azadirachta indica Leaf and Bark Extracts in Clinical Isolates of Diabetic Patients

Background: Antibacterial activities of crude Azadirachta indica (neem) bark and leaf extracts were investigated in bacterial species isolated from clinical samples of diabetic individuals. Methods and Material: Nine different dilutions of methanolic bark and leaf extracts were tested for this purpose in agar well diffusion method. Results: Both the extracts were active against Gram positive as well as Gram negative strains. Zones of inhibition produced by different bacteria for different concentrations were summarized by linear regression. Highest activities were exhibited for coagulase negative Staphylococcus (CONS) by both bark and leaf extracts, Y = 16.95 + 0.19X and Y = 18.90 – 0.70X, respectively. Conclusions: Results indicate that exhaustive studies involving identification of specific compounds in neem extracts and testing their activities in diabetic samples would be worthwhile considering steep emergence of multidrug resistant species in diabetic infections and infections in general.