| |
| author |
Victoria Kuenzel
| | title |
Effects of Essential Oils on Both Planktonic and Biofilm Staphylococcus epidermidis and Escherichia coli Persister Cells
| | abstract |
Infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria have led to a health crisis that worsens
yearly in the United States. It is expected that death rates will continue to because development
of bacterial resistance outpaces the discovery of new classes of antibiotic drugs. Major causes of
the antibiotic-resistance crisis are persisters and bacterial biofilms. These persister cells account
for a small portion of the bacterial population that remain hibernated. They do not respond to
antibiotic stress, and they survive antibiotic treatment. Biofilm structures on internal medical
devices create an environment suitable for persister cell survival. These biofilms provide
encapsulation and protect persister cells from antibiotic treatment, leading to internal infection.
The use of essential oils as a treatment method against these persisters and biofilm structures.
was explored in this project. The treatment of planktonic persister cells in both S. epidermidis
and E. coli bacteria with the essential oils lavender, geranium, and ylang-ylang results in
complete eradication of persister cells at the concentrations of 0.5%, 1%, and 2.5% at various
treatment times. The effect of essential oils on biofilm structures of S. epidermidis and E. coli
bacteria was also examined. Geranium and ylang-ylang oil most effectively eliminated these
biofilms at 4% and 8% concentrations at 24 and 48 h treatment time. Lavender essential oil still
needs further investigation since the impact of biofilms was not conclusive.
| | school |
The College of Liberal Arts, Drew University
| | degree |
B.S. (2025)
|
| advisor |
Christopher Fazen
|
| committee |
Adam Cassano
Kamal Benslama
|
| full text | VKuenzel.pdf - requires Drew uLogin |
| |
