Journal
JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMOTHERAPY
Volume 62, Issue 5, Pages 1031-1036Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkn325
Keywords
essential oils; chlorhexidine; synergism; skin antisepsis; antimicrobial activity
Funding
- EPSRC [CNA/05/09]
- Insight Health Ltd, UK
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Objectives: Effective skin antisepsis and disinfection of medical devices are key factors in preventing many healthcare-acquired infections associated with skin microorganisms, particularly Staphylococcus epidermidis. The aim of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial efficacy of chlorhexidine digluconate (CHG), a widely used antiseptic in clinical practice, alone and in combination with tea tree oil (TTO), eucalyptus oil (EO) and thymol against planktonic and biofilm cultures of S. epidermidis. Methods: Antimicrobial susceptibility assays against S. epidermidis in a suspension and in a biofilm mode of growth were performed with broth microdilution and ATP bioluminescence methods, respectively. Synergy of antimicrobial agents was evaluated with the chequerboard method. Results: CHG exhibited antimicrobial activity against S. epidermidis in both suspension and biofilm (MIC 2-8 mg/L). Of the essential oils thymol exhibited the greatest antimicrobial efficacy (0.5-4 g/L) against S. epidermidis in suspension and biofilm followed by TTO (2-16 g/L) and EO (4-64 g/L). MICs of CHG and EO were reduced against S. epidermidis biofilm when in combination (MIC of 8 reduced to 0.25-1 mg/L and MIC of 32-64 reduced to 4 g/L for CHG and EO, respectively). Furthermore, the combination of EO with CHG demonstrated synergistic activity against S. epidermidis biofilm with a fractional inhibitory concentration index of < 0.5. Conclusions: The results from this study suggest that there may be a role for essential oils, in particular EO, for improved skin antisepsis when combined with CHG.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available