Abstract
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria continue to be a major health concern worldwide. In
particular, Staphylococcus aureus, both methicillin-resistant and -sensitive, are of concern in their ability to cause
difficult skin and underlying tissue infections. Melaleuca alternifolia oil (tea tree oil), an essential oil, has demonstrated promising efficacy in treating
these infections. Tea tree oil has been used for centuries as a botanical medicine,
and has only in recent decades surfaced in the scientific literature as a promising
adjunctive wound treatment. Tea tree oil is antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and
has demonstrated ability to activate monocytes. There are few apparent side effects
to using tea tree oil topically in low concentrations, with contact dermatitis being
the most common. Tea tree oil has been effective as an adjunctive therapy in treating
osteomyelitis and infected chronic wounds in case studies and small clinical trials.
There is a need for larger clinical trials to further examine efficacy of tea tree
oil as an adjunctive wound therapy, as well as improved guidelines for developing
plant-based medicines.
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Article info
Publication history
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Footnotes
☆During preparation of this manuscript, Dr Halcón was supported in part by the A. Marilyn Sime Faculty Research Fellowship, grant no. R25-AT00556 (P.I. Kreitzer) from NIH-NCCAM, and T80-MC00021 (P.I. Bearinger) from the Maternal Child Health Bureau (Title V, Social Security ACT), HRSA, DHHS.
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© 2004 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
