The battle against multi-resistant strains: Renaissance of antimicrobial essential oils as a promising force to fight hospital-acquired infections
Date
2009
Authors
Warnke, Patrick H
Becker, Stephan T
Podschun, Rainer
Sivananthan, Sureshan
Springer, Ingo N
Russo, Paul
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Publisher
Churchill Livingstone
Abstract
Hospital-acquired infections and antibiotic-resistant bacteria continue to be major health concerns worldwide. Particularly problematic is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and its ability to cause severe soft tissue, bone or implant infections. First used by the Australian Aborigines, Tea tree oil and Eucalyptus oil (and several other essential oils) have each demonstrated promising efficacy against several bacteria and have been used clinically against multi-resistant strains. Several common and hospital-acquired bacterial and yeast isolates (6 Staphylococcus strains including MRSA, 4 Streptococcus strains and 3 Candida strains including Candida krusei) were tested for their susceptibility for Eucalyptus, Tea tree, Thyme white, Lavender, Lemon, Lemongrass, Cinnamon, Grapefruit, Clove Bud, Sandalwood, Peppermint, Kunzea and Sage oil with the agar diffusion test. Olive oil, Paraffin oil, Ethanol (70%), Povidone iodine, Chlorhexidine and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) served as controls. Large prevailing effective zones of inhibition were observed for Thyme white, Lemon, Lemongrass and Cinnamon oil. The other oils also showed considerable efficacy. Remarkably, almost all tested oils demonstrated efficacy against hospital-acquired isolates and reference strains, whereas Olive and Paraffin oil from the control group produced no inhibition. As proven in vitro, essential oils represent a cheap and effective antiseptic topical treatment option even for antibiotic-resistant strains as MRSA and antimycotic-resistant Candida species.
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Keywords
Keywords: antiinfective agent; cinnamon extract; clove oil; Cymbopogon citratus extract; essential oil; eucalyptus oil; grapefruit extract; Kunzea oil; lavender oil; lemon oil; liquid paraffin; olive oil; peppermint oil; povidone iodine; sage oil; sandalwood oil; t antimicrobial; Candida; disinfection; essential oil; Eucalyptus oil; hospital-acquired infection; MRSA; multi-resistant strains; Tea tree oil
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Source
Journal of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery
Type
Journal article
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2037-12-31
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