Antibiofilm activity of Croton urucurana compounds against Staphylococcus aureus isolated from mastitis in dairy cattle

Mastitis in dairy cattle is the disease that impacts dairy production the most; Staphylococcus aureus is the main causative agent of this condition. The genus Staphylococcus has the ability to produce biofilms, an important mechanism of antibiotic resistance. Bearing in mind that plants have therapeutic action, this study investigated the in vitro antibiofilm activity of the plant extract and compounds isolated from the species Croton urucurana, native to the Brazilian Cerrado, against Staphylococcus aureus isolated from the milk of cows with mastitis, as well as the antibiotic gentamycin and vancomicyn. The antibiofilm activity was evaluated by means of violet crystal and the counting of Colony Forming Units. The images were obtained by scanning electron microscopy. The C. urucurana crude extract and fraction displayed better antibiofilm effect than gentamycin; their antibiofilm action was similar to the action of vancomycin. Compared with all the assessed treatments, the isolated compound alpha-Costol was significantly more active it reduced six logarithmic cycles of the bacterial population composing the biofilm. The phytocomplexs and the alpha-Costol substance isolated from Croton urucurana are promising in the fight against one of the main etiological agents of bovine mastitis.