Antimicrobial activity of essential oils against Pasteurella spp. isolated from the oral cavity of domestic cats

Abstract

Pasteurella spp. have been identified predominantly in the oral microbiota of domestic cats. However, Pasteurella spp. was significantly more prevalent in cats with inflammatory oral disease; and consequently, it was considered as part of the etiology in this disease. In addition, in animals, Pasteurella spp. have become increasingly resistant to a large number of antimicrobials. Natural products, especially essential oils, could contribute to minimizing this issue. This study determined the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of six essential oils against Pasteurella spp. isolates from the oral cavity of domestic cats. Our results showed that essential oils with better antimicrobial effectiveness against most of the Pasteurella isolates were lemongrass, tea tree and clove, with inhibition values between 50 to 800 µg mL-1. All essential oils showed bacteriostatic activity against the species of Pasteurella isolated from the domestic cats. These results suggested that lemongrass, tea tree and clove oils have potential to be used in products for oral hygiene and treatment of oral infections in domestic cats.