In vitro Antibacterial Activity of Thymus vulgaris Essential Oil against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Aims Nowadays, treatment of bacterial infections is one of the most important challenges in the world. Medicinal plants offer a great hope to overcome these needs because of their chemical diversity and their significant role in the drug development. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro antibacterial activity of the thyme (Thymus vulgaris) essential oil against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Materials & Methods In this experimental study, thyme herb plants were collected and thyme essential oil was extracted. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MICs) tests were performed to determine the antimicrobial activity of Thymus plant against the first (Isoniazid, Rifampicin, Ethambutol) and second (Cycloserine, Streptomycin, Kanamycin) drug antibiotics of mycobacterium. Data were analyzed by SPSS 21 software, using one-way ANOVA test. Findings The MICs for Isoniazid, Ethambutol, Streptomycin and Cycloserine were less than 10μg/ml and the MIC values for Rifampicin and Kanamycin were 40μg/ml. The limits of minimal inhibitory concentration of essential oil was between 0.5-40μg/ml (p<0.05). Conclusion Thyme essential oil has antibacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberclusis.