Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oils against and Strains Isolated from Canine Dermatitis.

spp. bacteria are the most frequently involved agents in canine cutaneous infections. Treatment of these infections is based on antibiotic therapy, that often is not effective because of the antibiotic-resistance of the bacterial strains. Cutaneous staphylococcal infections are often complicated by yeasts, that may be resistant to the conventional antifungal drugs. The present investigation was aimed to evaluate the in vitro antimicrobial activity of some essential oils (EOs) in view of a potential cutaneous application. In detail, EOs obtained from lemon verbena ( L'Hèr. Britton), cinnamon ( J. Presl), myrrh ( (Nees) Engl. var. ), lemongrass ( (DC.) Stapf), litsea ( (Lour.) Pers.), lemon balm ( L.), oregano ( L.), savory ( L.), and thyme ( L.) were assayed against spp. and strains previously isolated from dogs with dermatitis. All EOs were tested by agar disk diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration methods to verify the antistaphylococcal activity, and by a microdilution method to evaluate the activity against . , and showed the best antibacterial activity against all the selected strains, with MICs ranging from 0.29 to 0.58 mg/mL, from 0.58 to 1.16 mg/mL, and from 0.56 to 1.12 mg/mL, respectively, whereas (1.03 mg/mL) and (1.8 mg/mL) were the most active against . After a proper in vivo evaluation, , , and EOs could be a promising treatment to combat canine cutaneous mixed infections.