This study was carried out to evaluate the in vitro antimicrobial activities of dried roots of a Romanian indigenous population of Inula helenium L. The powdered dried root of the plant was extracted in ethanol (using 30%, 50% and 70% v/v). The antimicrobial activity has been tested on five potential pathogenic bacterial species (Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus) and four fungal species (Candida albicans, C. parapsilosis, C. lipolytica and Aspergillus niger), all of veterinary interest. Antimicrobial activity was investigated by the drop-diffusion test method, measuring the inhibition zones. The preliminary results of our study indicated that ethanolic extracts (50% and 70%) from the roots of a Romanian cultivar of I. helenium L. showed significant antimicrobial activity against all tested microorganisms, except the pathogenic philamentous fungi A. niger. On the dermatophytic species (Candida sp.) the inhibitory effects of 50% and 70% extracts are very similar. Further investigation will be done to determine the minimal inhibitory concentrations for each susceptible microorganism. As final goal is the design of a new veterinary product with antimicrobial effects.
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