Effect of essential oils of Artemisia arborescens on Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa

This study was carried out to investigate the potential use of Artemisia arborescens as a source of antimicrobial agents against pathogens. Essential oils of A. arborescens were collected by hydrodistillation. The antibacterial properties of A. arborescens essential oil was studied on the standard gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa), and Staphylococcus aureus (gram-positive bacteria), then agar disk diffusion, minimal inhibition concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were detected. The results of agar disk diffusion tests showed the inhibition zones as follow: S. aureus 00-18 mm, E. coli 00-16 mm and 08-14 mm for P. aeruginosa. However, their antibacterial activities were lower than those of Gentamicin. The MIC for S. aureus and P. aeruginosa was between 33 and 66 mg/ml, and for Gram-negative bacteria of E. coli was between 66 and 132 mg/ml, while the MBC values of this oil against the tested bacterial strains were between 132 and 264 mg/ml.