TEN HIGHLY EFFECTIVE ESSENTIAL OILS INHIBIT GROWTH OF METHICILLIN RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS (MRSA) AND METHICILLIN SENSITIVE STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS (MSSA)

The purpose of this study was to determine the antibacterial activity of ten essential oils. The ten essential oils were tested on MRSA and MSSA from hospital patients using the disk diffusion (Kirby Bauer) method. Based on this study, all ten oils showed higher effectiveness inhibiting MRSA and MSSA growth than vancomycin, which is the currently used standard for treatment. Essential oils could be especially beneficial towards treating hospital patients with MRSA or MSSA infections in areas where antibiotics are not readily available.