Antibacterial Activity of Origanum vulgare on Staphylococcus aureus in a Rat Model of Surgical Wound Infection

Antibacterial Activity of Origanum vulgare on Staphylococcus aureus in a Rat Model of Surgical Wound Infection

Background: Wound infection is one of the frequent complications in patients with surgical operations. Staphylococcus aureus is the most common cause of surgical wound infections. Origanum vulgare, a common culinary herb, has been shown to have strong antimicrobial activity, especially against Gram-positive pathogens. Objective: This study was designed to investigate the antibacterial effects of O. vulgare on S. aureus in surgical wounds using a rat model. Methods: Twenty male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided randomly into two groups of treatment and control rats (1:1). A circular incision was made on the dorsal inter-scapular region of each rat. Then, rats were inoculated topically with 1 × 104 CFU of S. aureus at the site of skin wounds. O. vulgare extract was applied to wounds twice a day during the experiment. Animals of the control group were left untreated. Results: The load of bacteria in untreated rats was 7 × 106 ± 6 CFU/wound while this was 2 × 105 ±1 CFU/wound for the treatment animals, which was significantly lower. Conclusion: Results have showed that topical application of O. vulgare extract on the infected wounds included significant antibacterial activity against S. aureus.