Abstract
Background
The algae of the genus Prototheca are environmental pathogens whose main reservoir is the habitat of cows. They can cause protothecosis in domestic and wild animals, as well as human beings, with the main etiological agents being Prototheca zopfii in animals and Prototheca wickerhamii in humans.
Aim
The aim of the study was to evaluate the in vitro activity of selected essential oils and antifungal antibiotics against P. zopfii isolates.
Materials and Methods
The material consisted of nine P. zopfii strains isolated from the milk of cows suffering from mastitis. Eight essential oils produced by POLLENA-AROMA, Poland, and nine antifungal agents were tested. The effects of essential oils on P. zopfii were evaluated by microdilution with liquid Sabouraud dextrose broth, and susceptibility to antifungal agents was tested using the disk-diffusion method.
Results
All used essential oils inhibited the activity of P. zopfii isolates, with MIC values ranging from 0.2 to 10.5 μl/ml. Cinnamon, clove, and thyme demonstrated the highest activity against the tested P. zopfii strains at concentrations ranging from 0.6 to 1.0 μl/ml. Of the antifungal agents, the tested strains were the most sensitive to nystatin (100 %).
Conclusions
The tested essential oils can be used to complement protothecosis therapy in animals and human beings.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Al-Bayati FA, Mohammed MJ. Isolation, identification, and purification of cinnamaldehyde from Cinnamomum zeylanicum bark oil. An antibacterial study. Pharm Biol. 2009;47(1):61–6. doi:10.1080/13880200802430607.
Andrade TCB, de Lima SG, Freitas RM, Rocha MS, Islam T, da Silva TG, Milião GCG. Isolation, characterization and evaluation of antimicrobial and cytotoxic activity of estragole, obtained from the essential oil of Croton zehntneri (Euphorbiaceae). An Acad Bras Cienc. 2015;87(1):173–82.
Asfour HAE, El-Metwally AE. Microbiological and histological investigations on Prototheca mastitis in dairy animals. Glob Vet. 2010;4:322–30.
Atkinson AW, Gunning BES Jr, John PCL. Sporopollenin in the cell wall of Chlorella and other algae: ultrastructure, chemistry, and incorporation of 14C-acetate, studied in synchronous cultures. Planta. 1972;107:1–32.
Bouari C, Bolfa P, Borz G, Nadăş G, Cătoi C, Fiţ N. Antimicrobial activity of Mentha piperita and Saturenja hortensis in a murine model of cutaneous protothecosis. J Mycol Med. 2014;24:34–43.
Casal MJ, Gutierrez J. Simple new test for rapid differentiation of Prototheca wickerhamii from Prototheca zopfii. J Clin Microbiol. 1983;18:992–3.
Carson CF, Hammer KA, Riley TV. Broth micro-dilution method for determining the susceptibility of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus to the essential oil of Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree oil). Microbios. 1995;82:181–5.
Chun-Ting Y, Ming-Chi L, Yin-Ching Ch, Hui-Jine H, Mei-Feng L, Chun-Cheng Z, Wen-Chien K, Hung-Jen T. Prototheca algaemia: a rare but fatal opportunistic infection among immunocompromised individuals. Jpn J Infect Dis. 2013;66:523–5.
Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI) Performance standards for antimicrobial susceptibility testing: nineteenth informational supplement. CLSI document M100-S19. Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute, PA, USA; 2009.
Costa EO, Ribeiro AR, Melville PA, Prada MS, Carciofi AC, Watanabe ET. Bovine mastitis due to algae of the genus Prototheca sp. Mycopathologia. 1996;133:85–8.
Costa EO, Melville PA, Ribeiro AR, Watanabe ET, Parolari MCFF. Epidemiologic study of environmental sources in a Prototheca zopfii outbreak of bovine mastitis. Mycopathologia. 1997;137:33–6.
Cuc C, Cătoi C, Fiţ N, Răpuntean S, Nadăş G, Bolfă P, Taulescu M, Gal A, Tăbăran F, Nagy A, Borza G, Moussa R. The inhibitory effect of some natural essential oils upon Prototheca algae in vitro growth. Bull UASVM, Vet Med. 2010;67(1):34–8.
Cuc MC, Fiţ N, Răpuntean S, Nadăş G, Gal A, Bolfă P, Taulescu M, Cătoi C. In vitro evaluation of the antimicrobial properties of some plant essential oils against clinical isolates of Prototheca spp. Rom Biotechnol Lett. 2011;16(3):6146–52.
Iacoviello VR, Degirolami PC, Lucarini J, Sitker K, Williams ME, Wanke CA. Protothecosis complicating prolonged endotracheal intubation: case report and literature review. Clin Infect Dis. 1992;5:959–67.
Jánosi S, Szigeti G, Rátz F, Laukó T, Kerenyi J, Tenk M, Katona F, Huszenicza A, Kulcsár M, Huszenicza G. Prototheca zopfii mastitis in dairy herds under continental climatic conditions. Vet Q. 2001;23:80–3.
Jánosi S, Rátz F, Szigeti G, Kulcsár M, Kerényi J, Laukó T, Katona F. Review of the microbiological, pathological, and clinical aspects of bovine mastitis caused by the alga Prototheca zopfii. Vet Q. 2001;23:58–61.
Kalemba D, Kunicka A. Antibacterial and antifungal properties of essential oils. Curr Med Chem. 2003;10:813–29.
Krukowski H, Lisowski A, Nowakowicz-Dębek B, Wlazło Ł. Susceptibility of Prototheca zopfii strains isolated from cows with mastitis to chlorhexidine and iodine. Turk J Vet Anim Sci. 2013;37:106–8.
Lass-Florl C, Mayr A. Human protothecosis. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2007;20:230–42.
Lassa H, Jagielski T, Malinowski E. Effect of different heat treatments and disinfectants on the survival of Prototheca zopfii. Mycopathologia. 2011;171:177–82.
Lassa H, Malinowski E. Prototheca spp. and protothecosis of animals (Prototheca spp. i prototekozy u zwierząt—in polish). Life Vet (Życie Weterynaryjne—in polish). 2007;82:31–4.
Marques S, Silva E, Carvalheira J, Thompson G. In vitro antimicrobial susceptibility of Prototheca wickerhamii and Prototheca zopfii isolated from bovine mastitis. J Dairy Sci. 2006;89:4202–4.
Melville PA, Watanabe ET, Benites NR, Ribeiro AR, Silva JA, Garino F Jr, Costa EO. Evaluation of the susceptibility of Prototheca zopfii to milk pasteurization. Mycopathologia. 1999;146:79–82.
Milanov D, Suvajdžić L, Pušić I, Vidić B, Dordević-Milić V. Outbreak of endemic form of protothecal mastitis on a dairy farm. Acta Vet Beogr. 2006;56:259–65.
Padhye AA, Baker JG, D’Amato DF. Rapid identification of Prototheca species by the API 20C System. J Clin Microbiol. 1979;10:579–82.
Radwan IA, Abed AH, Abeer MR, Ibrahim MA, Abdullah AS. Effect of thyme, clove and cinnamon essential oils on Candida albicans and moulds isolated from different sources. Am J Anim Vet Sci. 2014;9:303–14.
Răpuntean Gh, Răpuntean S, Fit N, Cue C. Research regarding the development of unicellular algae form Prototheca genus isolated from mastitis cows. Bull USAMV Cluj-Napoca. 2006;63:146–51.
Răpuntean S, Răpuntean Gh, Fit N, Cuc C, Nadăs G. Morphological and cultural characterization of some strains of unicellular algae of the genus Prototheca sampled from mastitic cow milk. Not Bot Horti Agrobot Cluj Napoca. 2009;37(1):31–40.
Sanla-Ead N, Jangchud A, Chonhenchob V, Suppakul P. Antimicrobial activity of cinnamaldehyde and eugenol and their activity after incorporation into cellulose-based packaging films. Package Technol Sci. 2012;25:7–17.
Sienkiewicz M, Kalemba D, Wasiela M. The susceptibility of Klebsiella pneumoniae ESBL+ strains to clove (Syzygium aromaticum) essential oil. Anti-Infect Agents. 2012;11(2):159–67.
Sienkiewicz M, Łysakowska M, Denys P, Kowalczyk E. The antimicrobial activity of thyme essential oil against multiresistant clinical bacterial strains. Microb Drug Resist. 2012;18(2):137–48.
Sienkiewicz M, Głowacka A, Kowalczyk E, Wiktorowska-Owczarek A, Jóźwiak-Bębenista M, Łysakowska M. The biological activities of cinnamon, geranium and lavender essential oils. Molecules. 2014;19:20929–40.
Singh D, Kumar TRS, Gupta VK, Chaturvedi P. Antimicrobial activity of some promising plant oils, molecules and formulations. Indian J Exp Biol. 2012;50:714–7.
Soković MD, Vukojevic J, Marin PD, Brkic DD, Vajs V, van Griensven LJLD. Chemical composition of essential oils of Thymus and Mentha species and their antifungal activities. Molecules. 2009;14:238–49.
The European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing. Breakpoint tables for interpretation of MICs and zone diameters. Version 5.0; 2015. http://www.eucast.org.
Wawron W, Bochniarz M, Piech T, Wysocki J, Kocik M. Antimicrobial susceptibility of Prototheca zopfii isolated from bovine mastitis. Bull Vet Inst Pulawy. 2013;57:485–8.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Grzesiak, B., Głowacka, A., Krukowski, H. et al. The In Vitro Efficacy of Essential Oils and Antifungal Drugs Against Prototheca zopfii . Mycopathologia 181, 609–615 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-016-9994-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-016-9994-6