Description
Aim: To evaluate the antimicrobial activity of carvacrol against stationary-phase planktonic and biofilm cells of coagulase-negative staphylococci and comparison to traditional antistaphylococcal antibiotics. MATERIALS & METHODS: The antimicrobial effect of carvacrol and antibiotics against planktonic and biofilm cells were assessed through quantification of the number of culturable and/or viable cells. Confocal laser scanning microscopy was used to evaluate the effect of carvacrol on the biofilm structure. RESULTS: A concentration of 4 mM of carvacrol demonstrated a potent antimicrobial effect, vastly superior than ciprofloxacin, rifampicin, gentamicin and vancomycin, both in planktonic and biofilm cells. CONCLUSION: Carvacrol is a potential antimicrobial agent, which applicability for the prevention and/or treatment of coagulase-negative staphylococci biofilm-associated infections is worthwhile investigating in more detail.
This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit and COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684) and the Project RECI/BBB-EBI/0179/2012 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-027462). A Franc¸ a is supported by the FCT fellowship SFRH/BPD/99961/2014. N Cerca is an investigador FCT. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion