Abstract

Anthemis gayana is belong to Asteraceae family. The aim of this study was to appraise of effects of the essential oils of A. gayana against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The hydrodistilled volatile oil from aerial parts of A. gayana was analyzed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique. Ninteen compounds were identified and the major constituents were caryophyllene oxide (9.1 ), spathulenol (7.7 ), 1,8-cineole (6.8 ) and germacrene D (5.8 ). The antimicrobial capacity of the aerial parts essential oils of A. gayana is screened against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The oil mildly inhibited the growth of microorganisms, The best antibacterial activity of essential oils of A. gayana was observed against Bacillus pumilus and Salmonella typhii with ZI=10.5 +/- 0.5 mm and MIC value of 128 mu g/ml. Antimicrobial activity of A. gayana against Salmonella typhi is particularly interesting from a medical point of view because S. typhi is a pathogen bacterial agent that is responsible for severe typhoid fever infection.