Assessment of the antimicrobial activity of some essential oils against multi-resistant bacterial strains

Abstract

Volatile oils, also called essential oils, are secreted by plant-specific secretory cells and tissues. These components are a mixture of different substances, primarily mono and sesquiterpenes. Our aim was to assess the antimicrobial activity of different essential oils, i.e. lavender, cloves, eucalyptus, rosemary, thyme and oregano against multidrug resistant bacterial strains belonging to the ESKAPE group. The most effective oils proved to be the thyme and oregano which induced the occurrence of the largest diameters of the growth inhibition zones against all tested bacterial species. Oregano oil showed the best inhibitory activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, followed by clove, while thyme oil was the most effective against Staphylococcus aureus strains.