Antibacterial activity of Cymbopogon citratus essential oil (lemongrass) against Aeromonas caviae complex

Abstract

Phytotherapic agents such as Cymbopogon citratus have been used by the folk medicine to treat innumerous health issues. The essential oil of Cymbopogon citratus has been reported as a potential antimicrobial agent against several microorganisms. The genus Aeromonas, an opportunistic pathogen,is an important agent responsible for food infection and for infectious complications in both humans and animals. As an antibiotic resistance is an important concern for the therapy management of infections caused by Aeromonas spp. and other antibiotic resistant bacteria, the search for new antimicrobial agents is a strategy to developing alternatives to solve this problem. In this way, the aim of this study was to   investigate the in vitro antimicrobial activities of C. citratus essential oil alone and in combination with 3 different antibiotics (cefalexin, tetracycline and gentamicin) against Aeromonas caviae complex strainusing minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC), checkerboard test, and time-kill assay. As results we found that the C. citratus essential oil has antimicrobial activity against A. caviae complex strain, by itself and when it was combined with the tested antibiotics, promoting a synergic and additive effect.