Comparing inhibitory potential of Eugenia caryophyllus and Origanum compactum against the growth and gene expression of enterotoxins in Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213

BACKGROUND: Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a crucial public health problem. Essential oils (EOs) possess antimicrobial effects and have been screened as potential natural antimicrobial compounds. OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to compare the effects of Eugenia caryophyllus (clove) and Origanum compactum (oregano) EOs on the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and the expression of the SEA, SEC and SEE genes. METHODS: The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of EOs and growth of bacterium at subMIC levels of EOs was determined. Enterotoxin detection was done using a commercial SE visual immunoassay kit after 18, 24, 48 and 72 h. Gene expression of enterotoxins was evaluated through RNA extraction, DNA synthesis and performing real time-PCR using specific primers for each SE. RESULTS: MIC of clove and oregano were 2 µl/ml and 1µ l/ml, respectively. Colony counts at 48 and 72h of cultures grown at 75% MIC of clove oil showed the growth rate was reduced 1.67 and 1.83 log10 cfu/ml compared to the control, and in the case of oregano at 75% MIC the decreases in growth rate were 2.25 and 2.68 log10 cfu/ml, respectively. When the target bacterium is cultured in the presence 75% subMIC of EOs, the transcript levels of sea, sec, see and the regulatory gene (agrA) were decreased 8.81, 9.13, 9.08 and 8.32 fold in the case of clove, and 11.56, 9.96, 11.07 and 11.15 fold in the case of oregano, compared to the control. CONCLUSIONS: The growth, gene expression and as a result secretion of enterotoxins A, C and E by S. aureus were decreased significantly at subMIC levels of EOs, especially at 75% MIC.