In vitro study of antimicrobial activity of essential oils and their components against the main Clostridioides difficile PCR-ribotypes isolated in Belgium

The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro
antibacterial activity of ten commercial essential oils (and some of their main components) against the most common C. difficile ribotypes circulating in hospitals and associated with human disease. Additionally, various C. difficile isolates obtained from foods were also tested to compare the susceptibilities between human and food strains.This study is one of the few to report on susceptibilities of human and food C. difficile strains to the essential oils and their components. Our results revealed the efficacy of cinnamon, oregano and thyme essential oils and their main components, trans-cinnamaldehyde, carvacrol and thymol, respectively, against different C. difficile PCR-ribotypes. These findings suggest the potential use of these natural antimicrobials as adjuvant of preventive treatment for pathogenic C. difficile.