title: 1998 William J. Stickel Bronze Award. Antifungal activity of Melaleuca alternifolia (tea-tree) oil against various pathogenic organisms.
abstract: Tea-tree oil (oil of Melaleuca alternifolia) has recently received much attention as a natural remedy for bacterial and fungal infections of the skin and mucosa. As with most naturally occurring agents, claims of effectiveness have been only anecdotal; however, several published studies have recently demonstrated tea-tree oil's antibacterial activity. This study was conducted to determine the activity of tea-tree oil against 58 clinical isolates: Candida albicans (n = 10), Trichophyton rubrum (n = 8), Trichophyton mentagrophytes (n = 9), Trichophyton tonsurans (n = 10), Aspergillus niger (n = 9), Penicillium species (n = 9), Epidermophyton floccosum (n = 2), and Microsporum gypsum (n = 1). Tea-tree oil showed inhibitory activity against all isolates tested except one strain of E floccosum. These in vitro results suggest that tea-tree oil may be useful in the treatment of yeast and fungal mucosal and skin infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery, Christiana Care Health System, Wilmington Hospital, DE, USA.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Concha
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Holloway
mesh_terms: D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003883:Arthrodermataceae / Q000187:drug effects; D001363:Awards and Prizes; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000187:drug effects*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011032:Podiatry / Q000266:history; D014197:Trees; D014249:Trichophyton / Q000187:drug effects; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D010938:Plant Oils