Staphylococcus epidermidis is a bacterium that readily colonizes on human epithelia. Although it is common on our skin, its infection can be dangerous, especially when acquired by immunocompromised individuals. Therefore, it is important to identify effective antibacterial agents for S. epidermidis. The research presented displays the antibacterial properties of lemongrass, cinnamon bud, and clove essential oils. Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion assays were performed to assess antibacterial activity of the oils and a GCMS was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations of the essential oils. In addition, a household diffuser and household hand sprayers were employed to apply essential oils to tryptic soy agar places cultured with S. epidermidis to evaluate diffusers and sprayers as appropriate essential oil applicators. To determine active ingredient concentrations, essential oils were injected onto a GCMS and their peaks quantified using active ingredient external standards (eugenol, cinnamaldehyde and citral) and an internal standard (n-tridecane). Results show that lemongrass and clove oil both inhibit growth of S. epidermidis, while the concentration of active ingredients in cinnamon bud oil were too low to be effective as an inhibitor of bacterial growth. Preliminary results show that an essential oil diffuser and hand sprayers containing clove and lemongrass essential oils are ineffective at inhibiting S. epidermidis growth. The antibacterial effects of diffusing and hand spraying essential oils on various cloths and applying the cloths to tryptic soy agar plates cultured with S. epidermidis will be presented as well.

GCMS determination of minimum inhibitory concentrations of essential oils used as antibacterial agents for Staphylococcus epidermidis

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.