Screening for Antimicrobial Activities in Marine Algae from Eastern Sicily¹

Abstract

The distribution of the antimicrobial activities against four different classes of microorganisms (Gram–positive, Gram–negative bacteria, yeast and fungi) in 63 species of marine algae is reported. The bioactivity is not uniformly distributed in the various orders, being concentrated in Dictyotales and Fucales of the Phaeophyta and Ceramiales of the Rhodophyta. A simple extractioning, partitioning and testing procedure is described.