Antimicrobial Activity of Oak Wood Against Nosocomial Acinetobacter Baumannii of Human and Animal Origin: A One Health Approach

Abstract

Wood, being an organic and renewable resource, is the most commonly used sustainable material for the construction of surfaces in hygienically sensitive places and has been proven to improve the psychological health and well-being of inhabitants. Still, there exists a misconception regarding the organic and porous nature of this material, which is blamed for the retention of microbes. The aim of this investigation was to study the in vitro hygienic properties of wood against nosocomial pathogens of human and animal origins. The round discs having a diameter of 9 mm with 2.5 mm thickness were prepared from the outer heartwood part of oak wood. These discs were conditioned in a climatic chamber and then packed and gamma sterilized. The four isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii, of animal and human origin (zoonotic and nosocomial), were pre-cultured. The method of direct antibiogram testing was employed. The bacterial suspension at 0.5 McFarland was inoculated on Mueller–Hinton agar plates by swab streaking method. Later, the wooden discs were directly placed on inoculated agar. After incubation for 24 h at 37 °C, the zone of inhibition on agar around the discs was noted manually. All the tests were performed in triplicates. The results showed that t wood has antimicrobial properties against nosocomial A. baumannii bacteria. Additionally, the direct antibiogram method can be used to quickly screen the antibacterial nature of wood. These properties can counter the growth of pathogens originated from multiple sources, including humans, animals, and indoor environment.