Considering the increase of the involvement of vegetables in the transmission of microorganism including the enteropathogenic Escherichia coli multiresistance to conventional drugs, the search for new antimicrobial compounds from natural sources, such as the essential oils, has been intensified in the last years. This research aimed to evaluate the antibacterial activity of the essential oil from basil (Ocimum basilicum Linn.) front to sorogroups of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) isolated in lettuces (Lactuca sativa) using the Diffusion in Disk Method. The results showed that, all the tested strains of E. coli EPEC presented sensitivity to the essential oil's action, suggesting that it can be a source of compounds with therapeutic potential in the fighting to bacteria pathogenic.
Escherichia coli EPEC; essential oil; basil; antibacterial activity
