Abstract
Successful infection by Listeria monocytogenes is dependent upon a range of bacterial extracellular proteins including a cytolysin termed listeriolysin O and phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C. Five plant essential oils - bay, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg and thyme - significantly reduced the production of listeriolysin O by L. monocytogenes. The greatest change was observed after culture with oil of thyme, which reduced haemolysis to 52.1 haemolytic units (HU)/ml compared with 99.8 HU/ml observed with the control. Oil of clove was the only oil that also significantly reduced phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C activity. These changes were observed despite the oils causing no change to the final bacterial concentration or total extracellular protein concentration.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 567-574 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Journal of Medical Microbiology |
| Volume | 51 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| Publication status | Published - 2002 |