Journal of Health, Medicine and Nursing www.iiste.org ISSN 2422-8419 An International Peer-reviewed Journal Vol.48, 2018 119 In Vitro Activity of Xylopia Aethiopica Extracts Against Monacrosporium Bembicodes Isolated from Powdered Soyabean Samples Chude, Charles 1* Iheukwumere, Ikechukwu Harmony 1 Okpalauwaekwe, Evangeline Ogonna 2 1. Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Anambra State, Nigeria 2.Department of Biological Science Technology, Federal Polytechnic, Mubi, Adamawa State, Nigeria Abstract Several incidences of antimycotic resistant have been reported and traced from the consumption of contaminated foods and their products. This study was carried out to determine the effects of Xylopia aethiopica on Monocrosporium bembicoides isolated from powdered Soyabean samples. A total of 120 powderd Soya bean sample were collected randomly from Uli community, Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State and screened for the presence of Monocrosporium bembicoides using spread plate technique. The isolates were subcultured and characterized using their macroscopic and microscopic characteristics. The seeds of Xylopia aethiopica was collected and screened for phytochemical constituents using spectrophotometer and gravimetric methods. The antifungal activity of the extract was carried out using agar well diffution technique. Tube dilution method was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) of Xylopia aethiopica seed extract. A total of 24 powdered Soyabean samples out of 120 samples were positive to Monocrosporium bembicoides, of which the organism was seen most in samples collected from location C (Eke Agbagba market). The phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolics, cardiac glycosides, tannins, steroids and saponins. The extracts showed pronounced activity against the tested Monocrosporium bembicoides of which ethanolic extract significantly (p< 0.05) inhibited the organisms more than the aqueous extracts. The ethanolic extract and ketoconazole had similar MIC and MFC. This study has shown the occurrence of Monocrosporium bembicoides in the studied powdered Soyabean samples, and Xylopia aethiopica seed extracts showed pronounced activity against the organism, of which ethanolic extract was more pronounced. Keywords: Monocrosporium bembicoides, Xylopia aethiopica, Soyabean,Phytochemical, Antifungal Activity INTRODUCTION Soyabean, known as Glycine max is a worldwide economic crop and the most important cultivated legume with hundreds of food, feed and industrial uses. It is an introduced crop in Bangladesh. The crop can be grown in tropical, sub- tropical as well as the temperate regions. It is a primary source of vegetable oil and protein concentrates. Soyabean is an excellent source of major nutrients, about 40% of dry matter is protein and 20% fat. As soybean acreage has expanded throughout the world, diseases have increased in number and severity (Newell and Hymowitz, 2003). All parts of the soyabean plant are susceptible to a number of pathogens which reduce the quality and/or quantity of seed yield. Soyabean suffers from as many as 150 different diseases. Generally one or more diseases can be found in one field wherever soyabean are grown. A specific one may be very destructive in one season and difficult or impossible to find in the next season. Among the serious diseases of soyabean, most of them are seed-transmitted (Newell and Hymowitz, 2003). Monacrosporium bembicoides, a type of nematophagous fungi have been found in all regions of the world, from the tropics to Antarctica. It appears to be common in most soils, especially in tropical areas, occuring abundantly and ubiquitously. They have been reported from agricultural, garden and forest soils, and are especially abundant in soils rich in organic material. In agricultural soils in temperate regions the nematode trapping fungi follow a seasonal variation, with highest densities and number of species in late summer and autumn, possibly due to the higher soil temperature and increased input of organic debris. The fungi are most frequent in the upper 20 cm of the soil and appear to be almost absent below 40 cm (Persmark et al., 2001). Mostly, plant-parasitic nematodes attack plant roots and, therefore, the ability of the nematophagous fungi to grow in the rhizosphere is of great importance for their capacity to control these nematodes. Many nematode trapping fungi especially the specie of Monacrosporium have been found to occur more frequently in the rhizospheres of several plants, especially leguminous plants, e.g. soybean and pea, than in root-free soil. This effect could possibly be due to increased or changed root exudation in these plants. To evaluate whether trapping structures and consequently trapping of nematodes are actually more abundant in rhizosphere soil, new techniques have to be developed to examine the activity of nematophagous fungi in situ (Jaffee et al., 2002). Medicinal plants such as Xylopia aethiopica and many others have continued to play central roles in the