Antimicrobial Activity and Composition of the Essential Oil of Cymbopogon Olivieri (Boiss.) Bor from Iran

The in vitro antimicrobial activity of the essential oil isolated from the aerial parts of Cymbopogon Olivieri (Boiss.) Bor, an aromatic grass of Iran was tested against three Gram-negative and four Gram-positive bacteria and also three fungi. The results of the bioassays showed that the oil has a remarkable antimicrobial activity. Bacillus subtilis and Candida albicans were more sensitive to the oil than other microorganisms with inhibition zones of 20 mm and MIC values of 3.75 mg/ml and 2.5 mg/ml, respectively. The Gram-negative bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa was resistant and Klebsiella pneumoniae showed less sensitivity to the oil with MIC value of >15 mg/ml. GC-MS analysis of the oil confirmed the determination of 40 compounds representing 95.0% of the oil. The main identified constituent was piperitone (48.9%).