Effect of Cuban essential oils on Salmonella enterica

Abstract

Infections by Salmonella enterica are a sanitary problem to be focused with the One Health approach, and given the emergence of antibiotic resistance and the conventional disinfecting treatments, alternatives are searched for its control and prevention. The objective of the present work was to determine the antibacterial effect of essential oils of plants cultivated in Cuba on Salmonella enterica for the experimental disinfection of water and animal feed concentrate. The antibacterial activity of 15 essential oils were evaluated and those with a strong activity were selected as promising. The essential oil with the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) was selected as the most promising candidate and used in the studies on mode of action on planktonic and sessile cells of Salmonella enterica . The essences of Lippia graveolens (Kunth) (MIC of 0.5 mg/ml) and Thymus vulgaris L. (MIC of 1 mg/ml) showed a strong antibacterial activity on S. enterica, including resistant isolates to β-lactam antibiotics. The essential oil of L. graveolens showed higher effectiveness at a lower concentration. The oil of L. graveolens inhibited the process of biofilm formation by S. Typhimuriun and destroyed the preformed biofilms. The essence of L. graveolens disinfected water and animal feed concentrate artificially contaminated with this pathogen in a treatment for 24 hours and prevented contamination of the animal feed concentrate in this same time. For its effectiveness and mode of action, the essential oil of L. graveolens is the most promising candidate for the development of antibacterial products based on essential oils of plants cultivated in Cuba destined to control salmonellosis.