In vitro antibacterial activity of essential oils from plant family Lamiaceae

摘要

Medicinal plants and herbs have been used for many years in treating various animal and human diseases. Secondary metabolites from medicinal plants are widely unexploited in 'conventional' animal production systems. The aim of the investigation was to study antimicrobial activities of three essential oils on five bacterial species (Escherichia coli, Salmonella choleraesuis, Proteus mirabilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis) obtained from the American Type Culture Collection. The plants used in this study were oregano (Origanum vulgare L.), thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) and wild thyme (Thymus serpyllum L.), all members of Lamiaceae family. The antibacterial activity of essential oils was tested by disc diffusion method and broth micro-dilution susceptibility assay, according to the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards Guidelines. All the tested oils demonstrated antimicrobial activity on used bacterial strains.