Abstract
Aim:To demonstrate that myrrh oil preferentially kills nongrowing bacteria and causes no resistance development.Method:Growth inhibition was determined on regular plates or plates without nutrients, which were later overlaid with soft agar containing nutrients to continue growth. Killing experiments were done in broth and in buffer without nutrients.Results:Bacterial cells were inhibited preferentially in the absence of nutrients or when growth was halted by a bacteriostatic antibiotic. After five passages in myrrh oil, surviving colonies showed no resistance to the antibiotic.Conclusion:Myrrh oil has the potential to be a commercially viable antibiotic that kills persister cells and causes no resistance development. This is a rare example of an antibiotic that can preferentially kill nongrowing bacteria.
Highlights
Essential oils from several spices were found to have activity against stationary phase culture of the causative agent of lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorf
Possible clinical significance of myrrh oil can be that it can kill bacteria in nutrient-rich media provided growth of the bacteria is halted by addition of a bacteriostatic antibiotic such as chloramphenicol. Another positive aspect of the use of myrrh oil as an antibiotic is that even after repeated use of the antibiotic there is no evidence of resistance development
Future studies will focus on purification and identification of the active component in myrrh oil, its mechanism of action and pharmacokinetic properties including toxicity
Summary
To demonstrate that myrrh oil preferentially kills nongrowing bacteria and causes no resistance development
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