A study of the inhibitory effect of six essential oils toward Klebsiella pneumoniae

• Published in: Advances in Food Sciences 2013-09 (3), p.np-np
• Main Authors: Xhaxhiu, Kledi, Kllogjeri, Aureda, Keci, Erjola
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Juniperus communis; Klebsiella pneumoniae; Laurus nobilis; Myrtus communis; Salvia officinalis; Thymus vulgaris
• ISSN: 1431-7737

Medicinal herbs have been used for thousands of centuries by many cultures to enhance the flavor and aroma of foods. Early cultures also recognized the value of using herbs for their medicinal value. Scientific experiments since the late 19th century have documented the antimicrobial properties of some herbs and their extracts. In the course of these studies, we focused our interest on the inhibitory effect of six essential oils obtained by steam hydro-distillation from six medicinal plants of the Albanian flora i.e. Saturea montana, Myrtus communis, Laurus nobilis, Juniperus communis, Salvia officinalis and Thymus vulgaris against a gram-negative bacteria Klebsiella pneumoniae, responsible for respiratory, wound and bloodstream infections in humans. For the identification of the inhibitory effect of the essential oil the bacteria strain characteristic capsule blowing reaction was used.. The inhibitory effect identification wass carried out during 24 hours. Within the investigation period of 24 hours, two different extract volumes (5 iL; 20 iL) were tested at a constant temperature of 37 [degrees]C. A significantly high inhibition rate was observed for the essential oils of T. vulgaris and S. montana when 5 iL essential oil sample volume was used. The increase of the essential oil volume from 5 iL to 20 iL, led to higher inhibition effects (almost 60-65%) against Klebsiella pneumoniae colonies for all the essential oil used. Insuppressible in this process were the essential oils of T. vulgaris and S. montana, which revealed a percentage of inhibition up to 90% within the studied period. The application of these oils is strongly recommended in the treatment of immune-compromised individuals, where these invasive and pathogenic strains are often observed.