Antimicrobial activity of Origanum vulgare essential oil (Oregano) and its compound isolated against cells of Streptococcus spp., Candida spp. and Staphylococcus aureus MRSA

The use of plants as an alternative to medicinal treatments is an ancient practice. Studies on medicinal plants have become increasingly relevant, and ethnobotanical and ethno-pharmacological knowledge is considered essential for the development of new drugs. Several plants have been tested in order to find active biocomposites that can be used in the development of new drugs (Amjad et al., 2017), since microbial resistance has brought great problems in the treatment of infectious diseases and the development of new agents antimicrobial agents (Ayaz et al., 2019). Objective: The present study aimed to study the antimicrobial activity of Origanum vulgare essential oil and its isolated Carvacrol compound against Candida, Streptococcus and Staphylococcus microorganisms. Results: The essential oil of O. vulgare demonstrated inhibitory activity for the genus Candida, Streptococcus and for the strain of Staphylococcus aureus at concentrations between 0.5 and 0.125 mg / ml; while carvacrol varied in concentrations between 0.250 and 0.0625 mg / ml. The fungicidal and bactericidal activities expressed concentrations of 0.5 and 0.250 mg / ml for the essential oil and 0.250 to 0.125 mg / ml for the compound. Conclusion: Oreganum vulgare essential oil (OE) and isolated compound Carvacrol are biologically active in a dose dependent manner against the species tested in their planktonic form.