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Research: MAY and colleagues, Mi
Listed in Issue 63
Abstract
MAY and colleagues, Microbiology Department, St. Thomas' Hospital, London SE1 7EH, UK investigated the kill rate and kill time of tea tree oil against several multidrug-resistant microorganisms and other sensitive microorganisms.
Background
Tea tree oil is an effective topical antimicrobial agent against a wide range of organisms and may have important clinical applications both in the hospital and in the community.
Methodology
Methods based on the time-kill approach were used to determine the kill rates/times of two chemically different tea tree oils against several multidrug-resistant organisms including: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), glycopeptide-resistant enterococci, aminoglycoside-resistant klebsiellae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia . The kill rates/times of the oils against other sensitive microorganisms were also determined. The two oils consisted of: a) a standard oil ; and b) Clone 88, extracted from a tree that has been selected and bred for increased activity and decreased skin irritation .
Results
The findings confirmed that the cloned oil had increased antimicrobial activity compared with the standard oil. Most of the findings indicated that the susceptibility pattern and Gram reaction of a microorganism did not influence its kill rate. Both tea tree oils achieved rapid kill times (less than 60 minutes) with most of the organisms examined; however, the kill time for MRSA was longer than for other organisms.
Conclusion
References
May J et al. Time-kill studies of tea tree oils on clinical isolates. The Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 45 (5): 639-43. May 2000.
Comment
With the lethal rise in MRSA infections in many hospital wards, I would hope that clinicians would pay particular attention to research results of this nature. Essential oils were once used as disinfectants during World War I in France, when there was a scarcity of other disinfecting chemicals. If antibiotic resistant microorganisms persist in outwitting the microbiologists, using other herbal or essential oil remedies will be instrumental in saving many thousands of lives. (See also the article Tea Tree Oil by Cynthia Olsen.)
