ABSTRACT:
We aimed in this study to determine the antibacterial efficacy of essential oils of Rosmarinus officinalis, Salvia officinalis leaves and Anthemis nobilis flowers widespread in the Syrian coast against several strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The essential oils were extracted and the yield was measured using Clevenger apparatus. In vitro investigation of antibacterial activity using agar disc diffusion method and minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of each essential oil was determined by microdilution method against studied bacteria. Results demonstrated that Rosmarinus officinalis essential oil had the highest activity (MIC for Staphylococcus aureus was 3.9µl/ml and MIC for Pseudomonas aeruginosa was 7.8 µl/ml). Salvia officinalis essential oil had moderate antibacterial effect with MIC of 31.2 µl/ml and 125µl/ml against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa respectively. On the other hand, Anthemis nobilis essential oil had no efficacy against tested bacterial strains. According to our study, Rosmarinus officinalis essential oil exhibited higher antibacterial activity against both Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa than this of Salvia officinalis.