ANTIBACTERIAL AND ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF 10 ESSENTIAL OILS IN-VITRO

The essential oils of aegle, ageratum, citronella, eucalyptus, geraniu m, lemongrass, orange, palmarosa, patchouli and peppermint, were teste d for antibacterial activity against 22 bacteria, including Gram-posit ive cocci and rods and Gram-negative rods, and twelve fungi (3 yeast-l ike and 9 filamentous) by the disc diffusion method. Lemongrass, eucal yptus, peppermint and orange oils were effective against all the 22 ba cterial strains. Aegle and palmarosa oils inhibited 27 bacteria; patch ouli and ageratum oils inhibited 20 bacteria and citronella and gerani um oils were inhibitory to 15 and 12 bacterial strains, respectively. All twelve fungi were inhibited by seven oils (aegle, citronella, gera nium, lemongrass, orange, palmarosa and patchouli). Eucalyptus and pep permint oils were effective against eleven fungi. Ageratum oil was inh ibitory to only four fungi tested. The MIC of eucalyptus, lemongrass, palmarosa and peppermint oils ranged from 0.16 to >20 mu l ml(-1) for eighteen bacteria and from 0.25 to 10 mu l ml(-1) for twelve fungi.