Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Thyme and oregano oils kill bacteria in dog ear infections
By Sim, Jowenna Xiao Feng et al.·Published in Veterinary dermatology·2019·School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Antimicrobial activity of thyme oil, oregano oil, thymol and carvacrol against sensitive and resistant microbial isolates from dogs with otitis externa.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that oregano oil and thyme oil, along with their active ingredients carvacrol and thymol, can effectively fight infections in dogs with ear infections (otitis externa). These oils showed strong antibacterial and antifungal properties against various resistant bacteria and fungi commonly found in such cases. The oils were tested in the lab and demonstrated the ability to kill the pathogens at low concentrations. While this research is promising, further studies are needed to see how well these treatments work in real-life situations for dogs suffering from ear infections.
People also search for: dog ear infection treatment · natural remedies for dog otitis externa · oregano oil for dogs ear infection
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Multidrug-resistant pathogens present a major global challenge in antimicrobial therapy and frequently complicate otitis externa in dogs. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: In vitro efficacy of oregano oil, thyme oil and their main phenolic constituents against bacterial and fungal isolates associated with canine otitis externa were investigated. It was hypothesized that the main phenolic components would have greater antimicrobial activity compared to the relative essential oil. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using broth microdilution with spot-plating technique to determine minimum inhibitory and bactericidal/fungicidal concentrations (MICs, MBCs and MFCs). A time-kill kinetics assay was performed to confirm the bactericidal and fungicidal activity of the oils and their phenolic constituents. One hundred bacterial and fungal isolates, including meticillin-susceptible Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (n = 10), meticillin-resistant S. pseudintermedius (n = 10), β-haemolytic Streptococcus spp. (n = 20), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 20; including 10 isolates resistant to one or two antimicrobials), Proteus mirabilis (n = 20) and Malassezia pachydermatis (n = 20) from dogs with otitis externa were used. RESULTS: Oregano oil, thyme oil, carvacrol and thymol exhibited antibacterial activity against all bacterial and fungal isolates tested. MICvalues ranged from 0.015 to 0.03% (146-292 μg/mL) for the Gram-positive bacteria and P. mirabilis. For P. aeruginosa and M. pachydermatis, MICvalues ranged from 0.09 to 0.25% (800-2,292 μg/mL). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Oregano oil, thyme oil, carvacrol and thymol showed good in vitro bactericidal and fungicidal activity against 100 isolates from dogs with otitis externa, including some highly drug-resistant isolates. These essential oils and their main phenolic constituents have the potential to be further investigated in vivo for the treatment of canine otitis externa.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31566822/