Abstract

ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF THE ESSENTIAL OIL EXTRACTED FROM ARTEMISIA ANNUA

Randa M. Alarousy, Mostafa M. Eraqi, Hany H. Abd Elhamid and
*Johra Khan

Abstract

The present study was undertaken to isolate and identify members of pathogens from milk samples collected from cows showing mastitis and/ or those subjected to antibiotics treatment for prolonged time or any debilitating conditions in Egypt. As well as to evaluate the antimicrobial potential of the extracted oil from Artemisia Annua against the recovered microbial species and compare its potency with some of commercially available antibiotics. The obtained results showed that the incidence of isolation of pathogenic strains was 80% out of hundred mastitis cow’s milk samples, among those 80 strains; the incidence of Staphyllococcus aureus was 26%; of Streptococcus agalactia was 20%; Shigella flexneri (6%); Escherichia coli 15%; Listeria monocytogenes 3% and Candida albicans 10%. However, the antifungal capacity of the essential oil of Artemisia annua has a fungicidal effect on all tested Candida albicans strains. Our findings strongly recommend the application of Artemisia annua essential oil as a bio-microbicide to reduce the dependence on synthetic pharmaceutical antibiotics and in order to ensure food safety and quality.

Keywords: Mastitis, Artemisia annua, Antimicrobial, Resistance, Biofilms.