Antibacterial and Biofilm Production Inhibition Activity of <i>Thymus vulgaris</i> L. Essential Oil against <i>Salmonella</i> spp. Isolates from Reptiles
Michela Galgano,
Daniela Mrenoshki,
Francesco Pellegrini,
Loredana Capozzi,
Marco Cordisco,
Laura Del Sambro,
Adriana Trotta,
Michele Camero,
Maria Tempesta,
Domenico Buonavoglia,
Piero Laricchiuta,
Cristiana Catella,
Annamaria Pratelli,
Alessio Buonavoglia,
Marialaura Corrente
Affiliations
Michela Galgano
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University Aldo Moro of Bari, Sp Casamassima Km 3, 70010 Valenzano, BA, Italy
Daniela Mrenoshki
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University Aldo Moro of Bari, Sp Casamassima Km 3, 70010 Valenzano, BA, Italy
Francesco Pellegrini
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University Aldo Moro of Bari, Sp Casamassima Km 3, 70010 Valenzano, BA, Italy
Loredana Capozzi
Istituto Zooprofilattico della Puglia e della Basilicata, Contrada San Pietro Piturno, 70017 Putignano, BA, Italy
Marco Cordisco
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University Aldo Moro of Bari, Sp Casamassima Km 3, 70010 Valenzano, BA, Italy
Laura Del Sambro
Istituto Zooprofilattico della Puglia e della Basilicata, Contrada San Pietro Piturno, 70017 Putignano, BA, Italy
Adriana Trotta
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University Aldo Moro of Bari, Sp Casamassima Km 3, 70010 Valenzano, BA, Italy
Michele Camero
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University Aldo Moro of Bari, Sp Casamassima Km 3, 70010 Valenzano, BA, Italy
Maria Tempesta
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University Aldo Moro of Bari, Sp Casamassima Km 3, 70010 Valenzano, BA, Italy
Domenico Buonavoglia
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University Aldo Moro of Bari, Sp Casamassima Km 3, 70010 Valenzano, BA, Italy
Piero Laricchiuta
Zoosafari, Via dello Zoosafari, 72015 Fasano, BR, Italy
Cristiana Catella
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University Aldo Moro of Bari, Sp Casamassima Km 3, 70010 Valenzano, BA, Italy
Annamaria Pratelli
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University Aldo Moro of Bari, Sp Casamassima Km 3, 70010 Valenzano, BA, Italy
Alessio Buonavoglia
Dental School, Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Zamboni 33, 40126 Bologna, BO, Italy
Marialaura Corrente
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University Aldo Moro of Bari, Sp Casamassima Km 3, 70010 Valenzano, BA, Italy
Salmonellosis is an infectious disease affecting both animals and humans. Antimicrobial resistant (AMR) and biofilm-producing Salmonella spp., frequently detected in reptiles (who can then act as asymptomatic carriers for warm-blooded animals), have developed resistance to biocides; this represents a warning for the emergence of biocide/antimicrobial cross-resistance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Thymus vulgaris L. essential oil (TEO) in inhibiting bacterial growth and biofilm production of Salmonella spp., which had been isolated from wild reptiles housed in a Zoo in Italy. The resistance profile against different classes of antibiotics showed that all the isolates were susceptible to the tested antibiotics, despite the presence of several AMR genes. All the isolates were also tested with aqueous solutions of TEO at different dilutions (5% to 0.039%). Interestingly, TEO proved effective both in inhibiting bacterial growth at low dilutions, with MIC and MBC values ranging between 0.078% and 0.312%, and in inhibiting biofilm production, with values ranging from 0.039% to 0.156%. TEO demonstrated effective bioactivity against the biofilm producer Salmonella spp., proving to be a valid disinfectant for the prevention of salmonellosis from reptiles, a possible source of infection for humans exposed to the reptiles’ environment.
