The Use of Tea Tree Oil as an Alternative to Mupirocin for Those Suffering from Bacterial Skin Infections (Staphylococcus Aureus).
Abstract
In vitro studies show that tea tree oil can be used as a topical methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) eradication regimen in a laboratory setting. This report has been researched using a wide range of journals and internet sources to find out whether tea tree oil can be used as an alternative to Mupirocin for those suffering from MRSA colonisation. The journals that were searched contained useful information about tea tree oil as an antiseptic, however, many of the studies, like Hada et al (2001), looked at inhibiting the MRSA colonization rather than eradicating it. There were three studies found to be useful in this review. The first was Dryden et al (2004) which found Mupirocin to be more effective than tea tree oil by only a small percentage. The second study by Caelli et al (2001), which had considerably fewer participants, showed a large but non-significant improvement in eradicating MRSA compared to traditional treatment. Finally, the third study by May et al (2000) was performed with two chemically different tea tree oils and found a rapid killing time (less than 60 min) was achieved with both tea tree oils with most isolates, but MRSA was killed more slowly than other organisms. This study does not include murpirocin, however, it shows the success rates of tea tree oil as an antiseptic. All of these studies are cited in a review found by Flaxman (2007) which compares two randomized controlled trials which was undertaken to show the effects of tea tree oil and mupirocin in eradicating MRSA. There are currently an insufficient amount of studies to support the viability of tea tree oil in clinical practice against the eradication of MRSA.
Introduction
Antibiotics have saved millions of lives by killing harmful bacteria that cause infections. But the overuse of antibiotics has lead to the development of strains of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is a type of bacteria
In vitro studies show that tea tree oil can be used as a topical methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) eradication regimen in a laboratory setting. This report has been researched using a wide range of journals and internet sources to find out whether tea tree oil can be used as an alternative to Mupirocin for those suffering from MRSA colonisation. The journals that were searched contained useful information about tea tree oil as an antiseptic, however, many of the studies, like Hada et al (2001), looked at inhibiting the MRSA colonization rather than eradicating it. There were three studies found to be useful in this review. The first was Dryden et al (2004) which found Mupirocin to be more effective than tea tree oil by only a small percentage. The second study by Caelli et al (2001), which had considerably fewer participants, showed a large but non-significant improvement in eradicating MRSA compared to traditional treatment. Finally, the third study by May et al (2000) was performed with two chemically different tea tree oils and found a rapid killing time (less than 60 min) was achieved with both tea tree oils with most isolates, but MRSA was killed more slowly than other organisms. This study does not include murpirocin, however, it shows the success rates of tea tree oil as an antiseptic. All of these studies are cited in a review found by Flaxman (2007) which compares two randomized controlled trials which was undertaken to show the effects of tea tree oil and mupirocin in eradicating MRSA. There are currently an insufficient amount of studies to support the viability of tea tree oil in clinical practice against the eradication of MRSA.
Introduction
Antibiotics have saved millions of lives by killing harmful bacteria that cause infections. But the overuse of antibiotics has lead to the development of strains of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is a type of bacteria
References: Dryden. M. S., Dailly. S., Crouch. M. (2004) A randomized, controlled trial of tea tree topical preparations versus a standard topical regimen for the clearance of MRSA colonization. Journal of Hospital Infection. 39:85—89. Flaxman. D., Griffiths. P. Is tea tree oil effective at eradicating MRSA colonization? A review. British Journal of Community Nursing. Vol 10, No 3 May. J., Chan. C. H., King. A., Williams. L., French. G. L. (1999) Time–kill studies of tea tree oils on clinical isolates. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. 45, Issue5: 639-643 Http:// http://www.webmd.boots.com/a-to-z-guides/tc/methicillin-resistant-staphylococcus-aureus-diagnosing-mrsa-infection Http://medicinenet.com Word count: 1, 040 (not including references)