RESUMEN
Essential oils are aromatic and volatile substances extracted from plants and characterized by antimicrobial activity. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity (agar disc-diffusion method) of seven different bergamot essential oils (BEOs) on eight Listeria monocytogenes strains. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of most efficient BEOs was estimated. Extremely variable results for agar disc-diffusion method for L. monocytogenes strains were reported. One of the tested microorganisms resulted insensible to all the BEOs; 3 strains showed an inhibition from weak to null and the remaining 4 a variable susceptibility. Among the BEOs tested, one showed a strong activity against four pathogenic strains. Four BEOs revealed weak, moderate or null activity in all the 7 sensitive strains, while for two oils only a weak or no activity was reported. MIC values were 0.625 µL/mL for the most efficient BEO, 2.5 and 5 µL/mL for the other samples that showed moderate inhibition. Experiment results are significantly related to the strains tested (P<0.01), rather than the BEO employed (P>0.01). In conclusion, we can consider BEO as a natural technological hurdle for Listeria monocytogenes in combination with other preservation strategies. Finally, this study underlines the necessity to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of EOs on a significant strains number of the same bacteria.
RESUMEN
Brucellosis is a serious problem in Sicily. Brucella melitensis was identified as the species most frequently isolated in humans in Italy. No data, however, are available about the molecular epidemiological characterization of Brucella isolates from humans. We have conducted this study to molecularly characterize clinical isolates of Brucella spp. and to evaluate their antimicrobial susceptibilities. Twenty Brucella isolates were studied. Differential growth characteristics and DNA polymorphisms such as the restriction patterns of the PCR-amplified omp2a and omp2b genes, rpoB nucleotide sequencing, and multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis of 16 loci (MLVA-16) were used to characterize the strains. In vitro antibiotic susceptibility was determined by the E-test method on two different agar media, and the results were compared. All isolates were identified as B. melitensis biovar 3. rpoB nucleotide sequence analysis allowed the identification of two different genotypes of B. melitensis biovar 3. On the other hand, the MLVA-16 typing assay recognized 17 distinct genotypes. All isolates were sensitive to all tested antibiotics (rifampin, doxycycline, ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole), and the Mueller-Hinton agar plate is recommended for antibiotic susceptibility testing by the E-test method. Our findings identify B. melitensis biovar 3 as the etiological agent isolated in Sicily and encourage the use of both molecular methods, and in particular of the MLVA-16 assay, in epidemiological trace-back analysis. This study represents the first epidemiological data from molecular typing of Brucella strains circulating in Italy and, in particular, in eastern Sicily.