Direct screening method to assess antimicrobial behavior of untreated wood

The objective of the present study was to develop a simple and direct screening method to assess antimicrobial activities of wood material. Wood samples consisted of sawdust and wood discs cut in transversal (RT) and tangential (LT) direction, from four different wood species which were tested against four important bacteria in hospital hygiene. Area of inhibition was observed around sawdust embedded wells and wooden discs placed on agar. This study showed that wood disc diffusion can be used to easily and rapidly screen antimicrobial properties of untreated wood, while sawdust diffusion needs further work to do this.