Nosociomial (hospital-associated) as well as community-associated Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a strain of S. aureus bacteria that is causing havoc in private as well as hospital settings. Individuals can be unknown carriers for years on their skin or in nasal mucosa. Invasive infections occur most frequently among persons in hospitals and healthcare facilities. This pathogen can cause severe skin lesions such as abscesses and life-threatening bone and implant infections.
Where Did MRSA Come From?
It is widely thought that MRSA arose from lack of medical foresight in earlier decades. Antibiotics were overly prescribed and thus, over time such common use selected for resistant pathogens, including S. aureus. First detected in the UK in the 1960s and later in the US, its infection rate has escalated, especially among hospital patients. According to statistics from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), approximately 0.8% (2.3 million persons) of the U.S. population is colonized with MRSA. Treating for this superbug is frightful, for not only is it resistant to methicillin but a whole host of others such as oxacillin, penicillin and amoxicillin.
Essential Oils as a Treatment Option
With the alarming rate at which MRSA is spreading, other measures are seriously being investigated. Latest approaches include new hospital protocols for screening in-coming patients as well as the development of new antibiotics. Yet, with the rising cost of pharmaceuticals as well as their often risky side-effects, researches are looking at possible uses of essential oils to combat MRSA.
In Vitro Studies
Tea Tree, native to Australia, has received much praise in recent years for its believed antibacterial and antiviral properties. The University of Rhode Island (2007) found that tea tree in combination with lysostaphin (an antimicrobial enzyme of Staphylococcus origin) might serve as an option in controlling the decolonization of MRSA.
Manchester Metropolitan University, UK (2004) looked at combinations of essential oils to combat MRSA in wound dressings. The study found that a combination of citricidal (grapefruit seed extract) and geranium oil showed the greatest-anti-bacterial effects upon MRSA, whereas a combination of geranium and tea tree oil was most active against the methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA, which is still sensitive to conventional pharmaceuticals).
Clinical Controlled Studies
Clinical studies are not as common as in vitro studies due to their cost and complications associated with patient variability. Yet, in 2004 the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, UK conducted a study of hospital patients identified as being MSRA carriers. The study compared nasal and skin application treatments of tea tree essential oil (in a carrier solution) with a conventional regime. Results indicated that tea tree was more effective topically than the pharmaceutical application but much less effective at clearing nasal carriage of MSRA.
Although the above study is promising, Queen Mary's Hospital, UK published a review (2005) of all known randomized control clinical trials that compared tea tree oil with standard pharmaceutical regimens in eradicating MRSA colonization. Researchers concluded that there remains insufficient evidence to support the clinical use of tea tree oil to eliminate MRSA colonization.
Conclusion
It is well-documented that MRSA infections, whether from hospitals or from community association, is frightfully on the rise. In vitro studies using essential oils to combat MRSA are promising yet more research is necessary to validate preliminary results. Clinical trials are few, although as MRSA infection rates escalate, this is certain to change. New methods of safe and effective treatments are now being seriously considered. Essential oils are a probable candidate for future implementation.
Author Resource:-
Extensive research has been done on the therapeutic benefits of natural botanicals on immunity and overall well-being. To learn more read the author's aromatherapy blog.
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