Evaluation of the effectiveness of tea tree oil in treatment of Acanthamoeba infection

Eye diseases caused by amoebae from the genus Acanthamoeba are usually chronic and severe, and their treatment is prolonged and not very effective. The difficulties associated with therapy have led to attempts at finding alternative treatment methods. Particularly popular is searching for cures amon...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Parasitology research (1987) 2017-03, Vol.116 (3), p.997-1001
Main Authors: Hadaś, Edward, Derda, Monika, Cholewiński, Marcin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acanthamoeba
Acanthamoeba - drug effects
Acanthamoeba - physiology
Acanthamoeba Keratitis - drug therapy
Acanthamoeba Keratitis - parasitology
Amoeba
Analysis
Animals
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Care and treatment
Causes of
Cornea
Cornea - parasitology
Cysts
Drug Evaluation, Preclinical
drugs
Eye
Eye diseases
Eye infections
Health aspects
Herbal medicine
Humans
Immunology
in vivo studies
Infections
Keratitis
Medical Microbiology
Melaleuca - chemistry
Mice
Mice, Inbred BALB C
Microbiology
Odors
Oils & fats
Original Paper
parasitology
Plant Oils - pharmacology
Protozoa
tea tree oil
Tea Tree Oil - pharmacology
therapeutics
tissues
Treatment Outcome
Trophozoites
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Summary:Eye diseases caused by amoebae from the genus Acanthamoeba are usually chronic and severe, and their treatment is prolonged and not very effective. The difficulties associated with therapy have led to attempts at finding alternative treatment methods. Particularly popular is searching for cures among drugs made of plants. However, no substances with total efficacy in treating Acanthamoeba keratitis have been identified. Results of our semi in vivo studies of tea tree oil simulating eyeball infection demonstrated 100% effectiveness in the case of both trophozoites and cysts of amoebae from the genus Acanthamoeba . The action of tea tree oil indicates that this is the first substance with a potential ability to quickly and effectively remove the amoebae from the eye. Tea tree oil has the ability to penetrate tissues, which allows it to destroy amoebae in both the shallow and deep layers of the cornea. The present research into the use of tea tree oil in the therapy of Acanthamoeba infection is the first study of this type in parasitology. It offers tremendous potential for effective treatment of Acanthamoeba keratitis and other diseases caused by these protozoa.
ISSN:0932-0113
1432-1955
DOI:10.1007/s00436-017-5377-2