View source for Tea Tree Oil Treatment of MRSA

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==Introduction==

<br>Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem as an increasing number of pathogens is becoming less susceptible to commonly used antibiotics. The increasing difficulty of treating these pathogens underscores the importance of discovering alternative anti-microbial treatments. One potential alternative anti-microbial agent is tea tree oil, the essential oil derived from the Australian native plant <i>Melaleuca alternifolia</i>. The topical application of tea tree oil has been used for centuries as a folk remedy for a number of conditions, including acne and lice. Recent clinical studies indicate that tea tree oil can also treat skin infections of drug-resistant bacteria, including the staph infection of methicillin-resistant <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> (MRSA). Tea tree oil's bacteriocidal and bacteriostatic effects make this plant extract a plausible addition or supplement to a MRSA treatment plan.

MRSA is a Gram-positive coccus-shaped anaerobe that ...   
MRSA poses a public health risk as it is commonly contracted in healthcare and community settings and cannot be treated with common antibiotics.

Tea tree oil...

  
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[[Image:mrsa_magn_lg.jpg|thumb|300px|right|baseline|Magnified 20,000X, this colorized scanning electron micrograph (SEM) depicts a grouping of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria. Publicly available by the CDC.]]

==Mechanism of Action==
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==Benefits==
<br>Include some current research in each topic, with at least one figure showing data.<br>

==Section 3==
<br>Include some current research in each topic, with at least one figure showing data.<br>

==Conclusion==
<br>Overall paper length should be 3,000 words, with at least 3 figures.<br>

==References==
[Sample reference] [http://ijs.sgmjournals.org/cgi/reprint/50/2/489 Takai, K., Sugai, A., Itoh, T., and Horikoshi, K. "''Palaeococcus ferrophilus'' gen. nov., sp. nov., a barophilic, hyperthermophilic archaeon from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent chimney". ''International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology''. 2000. Volume 50. p. 489-500.]

Edited by Karen Leung, a student of [http://www.jsd.claremont.edu/faculty/profile.asp?FacultyID=254/ Nora Sullivan] in BIOL187S (Microbial Life) in [http://www.jsd.claremont.edu/ The Keck Science Department of the Claremont Colleges] Spring 2013.

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