Abstract
The culinary herb Satureja montana, known as winter savory, is an ingredient of traditional dishes known in different parts of the world. As an ingredient of foods it has the potential to improve their safety. In this study, the herb’s activity was investigated against Campylobacter jejuni, the leading cause of the most prevalent bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide. The ethanolic extract and essential oil of the herb were chemically characterized and six pure compounds—carvacrol, thymol, thymoquinone, p-cymene, γ-terpinene, and rosmarinic acid—were chosen for further analysis. The antimicrobial activity of the ethanolic extract (MIC 250 mg/L) was 4-fold higher compared to the essential oil. Carvacrol, thymol and thymoquinone had the strongest antimicrobial effect (MIC 31.25 mg/L) and a strong synergistic activity between carvacrol and thymol was determined (FICi 0.2). Strong inhibitory effect on C. jejuni efflux pumps (2-fold inhibition) and disruption of membrane integrity (> 80% disruption) of the herb were determined as modes of action. For resistance against the herb, C. jejuni need efflux pumps, although increased resistance against this herb does not co-occur with increased efflux pump activity, as for antibiotics. This study shows the potential of a common culinary herb for the reduction of the food pathogen C. jejuni without increasing resistance.
Highlights
Campylobacter spp. are the most commonly reported bacterial cause of gastroenteritis in the European Union, which is mainly due to infection by Campylobacter jejuni [1,2]
The aim of this study was to determine the antimicrobial activity of the herb S. montana as a crude ethanolic extract and essential oil against the major foodborne pathogen C. jejuni
The S. montana ethanolic extract was analysed by UHPLC with PDA and ESI-MS detection
Summary
Campylobacter spp. are the most commonly reported bacterial cause of gastroenteritis in the European Union, which is mainly due to infection by Campylobacter jejuni [1,2]. Campylobacteriosis is a disease that presents itself as watery diarrhea, fever and cramps, and can lead to the development of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a severe neurological condition [2,3]. With the number of confirmed campylobacteriosis cases reaching more than 250,000 per year in the EU, this is a burden for human health as well as national economies [1,4]. The present-day antibiotic resistance of bacteria is a considerable challenge, and C. jejuni is no exception. Due to the overuse of antibiotics in veterinary and human medicine, C. jejuni resistance levels to ciprofloxacin, nalidixic acid, and tetracycline are high. With more than 50% of isolates from poultry resistant to at least one antibiotic, the risk of resistant C. jejuni spreading through the food chain is
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