Potential of rosemary oil to be used in drug-resistant infections.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the antimicrobial activity potential of the essential oil of rosemary specifically for its efficacy against the drug-resistant mutants of Mycobacterium smegmatis, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans.


METHODS
Antibacterial, antifungal, and drug resistance-modifying activity was evaluated both qualitatively and quantitatively following disc diffusion and broth dilution assay procedures.


RESULTS
The rosemary essential oil was found to be more active against the gram-positive pathogenic bacteria except E. faecalis and drug-resistant mutants of E. coli, compared to gram-negative bacteria. Similarly, it was found to be more active toward nonfilamentous, filamentous, dermatophytic pathogenic fungi and drug-resistant mutants of Candida albicans.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that characterization and isolation of the active compound(s) from the rosemary oil may be useful in counteracting gram-positive bacterial, fungal, and drug-resistant infections.
Luqman
Suaib
S
Genetic Resources and Biotechnology Division, Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research), Lucknow, India.
Dwivedi
Gaurav R
GR
Darokar
Mahendra P
MP
Kalra
Alok
A
Khanuja
Suman P S
SP
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000187:drug effects; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D020102:Mycobacterium smegmatis / Q000187:drug effects; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000494:pharmacology*; D027542:Rosmarinus
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D009822:Oils, Volatile; C053775:rosemary oil