Juniperus communis essential oil limit the biofilm formation of Mycobacterium avium and Mycobacterium intracellulare on polystyrene in a temperature-dependent manner

ABSTRACT

Formation of biofilms allows bacterial cells to survive in adverse environments. Nontuberculous mycobacteria are ubiquitous in aqueous environments, where they adhere to surfaces and create a biofilm. This has led to the emergence of healthcare-associated infections and the use of biomaterials in medicine. Essential oils (EO) are substances of natural origin whose effect on microorganisms has been the subject of numerous studies. Here, we investigated the effect of Juniperus communis EO on nontuberculous mycobacteria and their early and mature biofilm formation in sterilised tap water. The combination of Juniperus communis EO and increasing ambient temperature showed a synergistic effect on the reduction of biofilm formation of Mycobacterium avium and Mycobacterium intracellulare on a polystyrene surface. A significant antibiofilm effect of Juniperus communis EO was also found at subinhibitory concentrations, suggesting a potential role for it as an alternative disinfectant of natural water.

KEYWORDS:

• Antibiofilm
• biofilm
• Juniperus communis
• nontuberculous mycobacteria

Conflicts of interest

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was funded by the University of Rijeka (grant No. uniri-biomed-18-1711323). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, or preparation of the manuscript.