Skip Navigation



JAC Advance Access published online on October 28, 2006
Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, doi:10.1093/jac/dkl443
This Article
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
59/1/125    most recent
dkl443v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by McMahon, M. A. S.
Right arrow Articles by McDowell, D. A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by McMahon, M. A. S.
Right arrow Articles by McDowell, D. A.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org
Received August 31, 2006
Revised October 5, 2006
Accepted October 6, 2006

Brief report

Habituation to sub-lethal concentrations of tea tree oil (Melaleuca alternifolia) is associated with reduced susceptibility to antibiotics in human pathogens

M. Ann S. McMahon 1 *, Ian S. Blair 1, John E. Moore 2, and David A. McDowell 1

1 Food Microbiology Research Group, University of Ulster, Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland BT37 OQB, UK
2 Northern Ireland Public Health Laboratory, Department of Bacteriology, Belfast City Hospital, Northern Ireland BT9 7AD, UK

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
M. Ann S. McMahon, E-mail: ma.mcmahon{at}ulster.ac.uk


  Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the effect of sub-lethal challenge with tea tree oil (TTO) on the antibiotic susceptibility profiles of significant human pathogens and commensals.

Methods: The study compared the antibiotic susceptibility (Etest) patterns of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus/methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and Salmonella spp. after broth culture for 72 h in the presence or absence of sub-lethal concentrations of TTO (0.25%, 0.25% and 0.1%).

Results: All habituated cultures (exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of TTO) displayed reduced susceptibility to a range of clinically relevant antibiotics compared with non-habituated (control) cultures.

Conclusions: Although TTO may be an effective antimicrobial agent when appropriately used at bactericidal concentrations, its application at sub-lethal concentrations may contribute to the development of antibiotic resistance in human pathogens.

Keywords: antibiotic susceptibility profiles; MRSA; antibacterial agents.
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.