Essential Oils Helps Battle Drug-resistant Superbugs

A new study has portrayed the benefit of essential oils as an alternative to antibiotics to fight drug-resistant hospital superbugs.

Professor Yiannis Samaras and Dr Effimia Eriotou, from the Technological Educational Institute of Ionian Islands, in Greece, led the research.

Clues to TB Drug Resistance and a Cure for the Resistance?
UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers in two new tuberculosis studies provide good news and bad news about the bacterium that infects nearly a third of the world's population

The experts tested the antimicrobial activity of eight plant essential oils.

It was observed that thyme essential oil completely eliminated bacteria within 60 minutes.

Apart from thyme, cinnamon oil was also found to be efficient antibacterial agents against a range of Staphylococcus species.

Inadequate Doses of Antibiotics Cause Multidrug Resistance in 'Superbugs'
It is commonly thought that an incomplete course of antibiotics increases the risk of a renewed infection by a 'superbug' that can mount a more powerful defence against the same drug.

These bacteria often lead to infection in immunocompromised individuals.

Samaras said: "Not only are essential oils a cheap and effective treatment option for antibiotic-resistant strains, but decreased use of antibiotics will help minimise the risk of new strains of antibiotic resistant micro-organisms emerging."

To Counter Malaria Drug Resistance, Genetic Clues Found
Genomics has been used to decode the blueprint of Plasmodium falciparum - a strain of malaria most resistant to drugs that causes the most deaths around the world,

Essential oils have been used for hundreds of years for therapeutic purpose, even though it is little known. Australian aborigines used Tea tree oil to treat colds, sore throats, skin infections and insect bites.

The Greek team believes essential oils could have diverse medical and industrial applications.

In Women Treated With Nevirapine to Prevent Infant Infection, HIV Drug Resistance Lasts for 1 Year
A single dose of nevirapine (sdNVP) can lead to HIV treatment failure in women who receive the drug to prevent transmission of the AIDS virus to their infants

The team said: "The oils - or their active ingredients - could be easily incorporated into antimicrobial creams or gels for external application. In the food industry the impregnation of food packaging with essential oils has already been successfully trialled. They could also be included in food stuffs to replace synthetic chemicals that act as preservatives."

The research was presented at the Society for General Microbiology's spring meeting in Edinburgh this week.

Source-ANI
SAV