Determination of antimicrobial activity of spider webs against human pathogen bacteria

In this study, antimicrobial tests of webs of Agelena labyrinthica (Clerck, 1757) (Agelenidae) and Holocnemus pluchei (Scopoli, 1763) (Pholcidae) species were dissolved in ethanol, methanol and acetone, which were obtained for antimicrobial analysis by the disk diffusion method. Extracts from webs of both spider species were tested against 3 gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumonia and Escherichia coli), a gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) and a yeast, Candida albicans. We found the ethanol extract of the A. labyrinthica webs did not form a zone for Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus, but was effective in other species. The methanol extract was observed to create an active zone in all species except S.aureus. The acetone extract of A. Labyrinthica webs showed antibacterial activity in all species. The Acetone extract from H. pluchei webs showed antimicrobial activity in other species except for S. aureus. In conclusion, we found spider webs can be an important biological material for antimicrobial studies. However, further studies are needed to evaluate the antimicrobial activities of spider webs. Keywords: Spider Web, Gram Pozitive Bacteria Strain, Gram Negative Strain, Antimikrobiyal