Juniper berry oil is stated to possess a wide spectrum of pharmacological activities and its monographs are included in some National Pharmacopoeias. The antibacterial and antifungal activity of the oil was reported by some authors. In our study we estimated the antibacterial and antifungal activity of three different juniper berry oils and their main components. All the micro-organisms used in this experiment were isolated from patients of Regional Hospital of Gdańsk and some of them showed resistance against commonly used antibiotics. Only one of the oils (labelled A) revealed good antimicrobial properties. None of the single oil components was a stronger antibacterial and antifungal inhibitor than the oil A itself. Our data suggest that the antimicrobial activity of juniper oil A is the result of either the specific composition of the oil A (highest concentration of (-)-alpha-pinene, p-cymene and beta-pinene) or activity of a single non-identified compound. The presence of an adulterant in the oil was excluded.

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Staphylococcus aureus is a common pathogen responsible for health-care-associated infections as well as community acquired ones. It is the etiological factor of a wide spectrum of infections. Therapeutic problems are caused by resistance of S. aureus to many antibiotics, specifically to methicillin (methicillin-resistant S. aureus, MRSA). In such cases a limited spectrum of antibiotics may be used and prolonged hospitalization is costly. Hence, there is an urgent need for the development of alternative antibiotic therapeutics. This work reviews the current knowledge concerning prospective treatment of staphylococcal diseases.

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most important etiological agents responsible for healthcare-associated infections and is capable of producing many virulence factors including biofilm. The aim of the present study was to analyze the correlation between the presence of the icaD and icaA genes and the ability to produce biofilm in vitro in 302 methicillin-resistant (MRSA) and 268 methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) strains isolated in the Provincial Hospital in Gdansk. Presence of the icaD and icaA genes was detected by PCR and the ability to produce biofilm in vitro was measured both spectrophotometrically and via Congo Red Agar plate culture methods. We found that 91% of MRSA strains harbored the icaD gene. Moreover, all icaD-negative strains were icaA-positive. Of MRSA and MSSA strains, 47% and 69%, respectively, produced biofilm in vitro. The level of consistency between the two applied phenotypic methods was 96%. Additionally, we found that strains with the same biofilm status may be present in asymptomatic carriers and cause infections.

In the study species distributions and antimicrobial resistance profiles were determined among riverine Enterococcus spp. Susceptibility of the isolates was tested against: ampicillin, imipenem, teicoplanin, vancomycin, erythromycin, linezolid, fosfomycin, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, tetracycline, high levels of gentamicin and streptomycin. The enterococci were detected in all of the analyzed water samples, periodically exceeding the mandatory standards of the EU Bathing Water Directive. Isolates were predominantly E. faecium (68.6%) and E. faecalis (21.6%) strains. The remaining isolates belonged to E. casseliflavus/gallinarum (5.2%), E. hirae (3.9%), and E. durans (0.7%). Of enterococci strains, 27% were susceptible to all tested antimicrobial agents and as much as 9% were classified as multiple-antibiotic-resistant (MAR). Resistance to erythromycin was common in all investigated areas (55%), followed by resistance to ciprofloxacin (22%) and tetracycline (14%). The resistance phenotypes related to glycopeptides and high-level aminoglycosides were also observed. Relatively low frequency of ampicillin resistance was found among studied strains, in contrast to the frequent use of this antimicrobial agent in Poland. According to the obtained results the Enterococcus should be regarded as an important genus, according to its potential contribution to dissemination of antimicrobial resistance in the water environment.