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JAC Advance Access originally published online on July 14, 2004
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Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 2004 54(2):386-392; doi:10.1093/jac/dkh359
JAC vol.54 no.2 © The British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 2004; all rights reserved.

Tolerance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil is associated with the outer membrane and energy-dependent cellular processes

Chelsea J. Longbottom1,*, Christine F. Carson1, Katherine A. Hammer1, Brian J. Mee1 and Thomas V. Riley1,2

1 Microbiology Discipline (M502), School of Biomedical and Chemical Sciences, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009; 2 Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Western Australian Centre for Pathology and Medical Research, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, Nedlands, Western Australia 6009, Australia

* Corresponding author. Tel: +61-8-9346-4730; Fax: +61-8-9346-2912; Email: chelsea{at}cyllene.uwa.edu.au

Objectives: The essential oil of Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree oil) and its components have antimicrobial activity against a wide range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, fungi and viruses. The mechanism(s) by which Pseudomonas aeruginosa NCTC 10662 maintains a decreased susceptibility to tea tree oil and components was investigated.

Results: Ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid enhanced the antimicrobial activity of tea tree oil and terpinen-4-ol against stationary phase P. aeruginosa while polymyxin B nonapeptide enhanced the activity of tea tree oil and {gamma}-terpinene. Pre-treatment with the protonophore carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone increased the susceptibility of exponential phase cells to sub-inhibitory concentrations of tea tree oil, terpinen-4-ol and {gamma}-terpinene, indicating that intrinsic tolerance to tea tree oil and components is substantially energy dependent.

Conclusions: Increased tolerance to tea tree oil in P. aeruginosa is directly related to the barrier and energy functions of the outer membrane, and may involve efflux systems.

Keywords: terpenes , efflux , PMBN , EDTA , CCCP


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