• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.36 no.3 s.142
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• pp.252-256
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• 2005

The in visto inhibitory activities of essential oils of the Rosmarinus officinalis as well as its main constituents were evaluated against antibiotic-susceptible and -resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus, streptococcus pneumoniae, Salmonella enteritidis and S. typhimurium. The essential oil fraction of R. officinalis and its main components, 1,8-cineole and camphor, exhibited significant inhibitory activities against most of the tested strains in this study, with MICs(minimum inhibitory concentrations) racing from 0.5mg/ml to 16mg/ml. The total oil fraction showed higher activity than its main components, 1,8-cineole and camphor against S. aureus strains. No remarkable differences were evident between MICs of the susceptible and resistant strains of S. aureus. Among the tested strains, S. pneumoniae CCARM 3523, the resistant strain to norfloxacin, oxacillin and erythromycin exhibited significantly lower sensitivity to the tested oils than antibiotic-susceptible strain. The oils revealed mostly higher inhibitory activity against S. typhimurium than against S. enteritidis.