bioRxiv Science⌕ Search
Home/Archive/bioRxiv

bioRxiv · 10.1101/727883

Identification of essential oils with activity against stationary phase Staphylococcus aureus

Xiao, S.·Cui, P.·Shi, W.·Zhang, Y.
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Staphylococcus aureus is the most dominant human pathogen, responsible for a variety of chronic and severe infections. There is mounting evidence that persisters are associated with treatment failure and relapse of persistent infections. While some essential oils were reported to have antimicrobial activity against growing S. aureus, activity of essential oils against the non-growing stationary phase S. aureus enriched in persisters has not been investigated. In this study, we evaluated the activity of 143 essential oils against stationary phase S. aureus and identified 39 essential oils (Cinnamon bark, Oregano, Thyme white, Bandit \"Thieves\", Lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus), Sandalwood oil, Health shield, Allspice, Amyris, Palmarosa, Cinnamon leaf, Clove bud, Citronella, Geranium bourbon, Marjoram, Peppermint, Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus), Cornmint, Elemi, Ho wood, Head ease, Lemon eucalyptus, Litsea cubeba, Myrrh, Parsley seed, Coriander oil, Dillweed, Hyssop, Neroli, Rosewood oil, Tea tree, Cajeput, Glove bud, Lavender, Sleep tight, Vetiver, Palo santo, Sage oil, Yarrow) at 0.5% concentration, 10 essential oils (Cinnamon bark, Oregano, Thyme white, Bandit \"Thieves\", Lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus), Sandalwood oil, Health shield, Allspice, Amyris, Palmarosa) at 0.25% concentration, and 7 essential oils (Cinnamon bark, Oregano, Thyme white, Lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus), Allspice, Amyris, Palmarosa) at 0.125% concentration to have high activity against stationary phase S. aureus with no visible growth on agar plates after five-day exposure. Among the 10 essential oils which showed high activity at 0.25% concentration, 9 (Cinnamon bark, Oregano, Thyme white, Bandit \"Thieves\", Lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus), Health shield, Allspice, Palmarosa, Amyris) showed higher activity than the known persister drug tosufloxacin, while the other one (Sandalwood oil) was found to be active at a higher concentration. In Oregano essential oil drug combination studies with clinical antibiotics, Oregano plus quinolone drugs (tosufloxacin, levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin) and rifampin completely eradicated all stationary phase S. aureus cells, but had no apparent enhancement for linezolid, vancomycin, sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, azithromycin and gentamicin. Our findings may facilitate development of more effective treatment for persistent S. aureus infections.

Source connections

Explore related subjects

microbiologyPreprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Xiao, S., Cui, P., Shi, W., Zhang, Y.. 2019-08-07. Identification of essential oils with activity against stationary phase Staphylococcus aureus. https://doi.org/10.1101/727883

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

A conserved cysteine-histidine-glutamate metal site identifies DUF501 (Rv1025), an essential uncharacterised protein family of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, as a candidate metalloenzyme and drug target

A substantial fraction of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis proteome remains functionally uncharacterised. Rv1025, a 155-residue protein carrying the domain of unknown function DUF501 (Pfam PF04417), is essential by transposon mutagenesis and vulnerable by CRISPR interference, an attractive but neglected drug target, yet has never been functionally described. The family (4,370 proteins, no Gene Ontology term, no solved structure) is uncharacterised across all organisms and essential in three Actinobacterial genera. A Foldseek search of the AlphaFold model against complete structural databases finds no significant homolog, indicating a novel fold. The operon eno-divIC-Rv1025-ppx2 is conserved across the Actinobacteria phylum, yet AlphaFold-Multimer finds no direct complex between Rv1025 and its neighbour DivIC. Instead, conservation across 8,700 homologous sequences reveals a near-invariant Cys113-His115-Glu59 cluster forming a pocket. Holo AlphaFold3 predictions with Zn, Fe and Mn confidently place a divalent metal on this triad at 2.25-2.47 A; mutating the triad relocates the metal, and an independent backbone-geometry predictor recovers the same site, confirming specificity. The triad is universal across the family: present in all 1,472 near-complete bacterial sequences of the Pfam alignment, with no non-conservative substitution among the 2,228 sequences examined, a defining feature of bacterial DUF501 rather than a mycobacterial peculiarity. We propose that DUF501 is a metal-binding protein and candidate metalloenzyme, the first functional hypothesis for this family, whose conserved, essential metal pocket is a promising drug target. As the predictions build on a conservation-defined site within a fully computational study, they are supportive rather than proof of metal occupancy and warrant experimental validation.

microbiology↗
bioRxiv2026

Mycoplasmal endosymbionts of Trichomonas vaginalis are associated with reduced risk for Chlamydia trachomatis endometrial infection in asymptomatic, coinfected, women.

Trichomonas vaginalis is a protozoan parasite that causes trichomoniasis, the most common curable non-viral sexually transmitted infection, and Chlamydia trachomatis is a bacterial pathogen that can ascend to the upper genital tract and cause pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, and ectopic pregnancy. T. vaginalis harbors bacterial endosymbionts, including Candidatus Malacoplasma girerdii, an obligate symbiont, and Metamycoplasma hominis, which can live freely or symbiotically. In a 16S rRNA sequencing study of the cervicovaginal microbiome of women at high risk for chlamydial infection, Ca. M. girerdii abundance was one of 13 features predicting lack of chlamydial spread to the endometrium, despite no direct association between T. vaginalis infection and reduced chlamydial ascension. Investigating the relationship between these microorganisms further, we found that T. vaginalis vaginal abundance correlated positively with chlamydial burden in women whose infection was confined to the cervix, while a nonsignificant inverse relationship was seen in women with endometrial spread. Among participants with high chlamydial burden, Ca. M. girerdii was detected exclusively in women without endometrial infection. Both endosymbionts trended toward more frequent detection, and higher abundance, in coinfected women without endometrial spread, while M. hominis abundance correlated strongly with T. vaginalis burden in this group. These findings suggest that mycoplasmal endosymbionts of T. vaginalis, rather than T. vaginalis itself, are microbial factors limiting chlamydial ascension, and point to a three-way interaction between parasite, endosymbiont, and bacterial pathogen that shapes upper genital tract C. trachomatis infection risk.

microbiology↗
bioRxiv2026

Understanding the physiological alterations of Vibrio cholerae upon exposure to L-ascorbic acid

The scourge of cholera remains a major global public health threat. It affects up to 4 million people worldwide and causes tens of thousands of deaths each year. The disease is experiencing a concerning resurgence in many parts of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. To effectively tackle cholera and circumvent rising antimicrobial resistance, targeted biological and preventive approaches, complementing traditional rehydration, are urgently needed. In this regard, our group has demonstrated the efficacy of L-ascorbic acid in controlling the growth and pathogenesis of Vibrio cholerae in vitro. The present work further provides a mechanistic elucidation of the L-ascorbic acid-mediated physiological changes in V. cholerae and also bolsters such a non-antibiotic approach to control cholera.

microbiology↗